Despite the fact Roe v. Wade was decided by The Supreme court 40 years ago, the issue of abortion remains squarely in the forefront of political debate across the country. Thursday afternoon student organizations on both sides of the issue aimed to make their voices heard.
At the center of the demonstrations from both sides of the issue was Planned Parenthood, the non-profit organization specializing in reproductive and maternal health services.
Students for Life, an organization dedicated to a pro-life agenda, set up a colorful display of posters in Free Speech Plaza with various facts and figures regarding the organization.
Not to be outdone, when students from other organizations such as Spectrum, got wind of the planned demonstration, they immediately put together a counter-event of their own to take place later in the day.
Biology senior, Students for Life member and organizer of the pro-life demonstration Candice Landreneau said the event was designed to shed light on the lesser known aspects of Planned Parenthood.
“The point of this is to show what some people may not realize what Planned Parenthood does as an organization,” Landreneau said. “It is not all about free condoms and birth control.”
Landreneau said the main issue with Planned Parenthood is they are the single largest abortion provider in the United States.
“They perform over 330,000 abortions per year,” Landreneau said. “We have found that there is a disconnect there and students don’t realize that number is so large.”
Raegen Carter, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, was invited by Spectrum to come to campus and answer questions regarding their mission. She said critics fail to take into account abortions are a small part of what Planned Parenthood does.
“In Louisiana, Planned Parenthood does not operate abortion services,” Carter said. “In general, abortion only accounts for three percent of the services we provide. Preventive and contraceptive care is a much larger part of what we do.”
Carter said Planned Parenthood is necessary to women everywhere because they are known as a trusted provider of healthcare and are available to women who need help.
“We see thousands of women every year here in Louisiana and they need us and trust us with their healthcare,” Carter said.
While the debate continues to evolve over time, the two sides agreed open dialogue is important to improving society.
Biology sophomore and member of Spectrum Blair Brown said the debate is good, but Spectrum is dedicated to protecting constitutional rights.
“This is something protected by the Constitution, so this is something that we will continue to protect and make sure people properly understand,” Brown said.
Landreneau said the hope is to find people who are like minded and want to make a difference.
“For us, it comes down to protecting the lives of those who cannot protect themselves,” Landreneau said. “It is ok to not agree but we want to make our case and let people know we can do better as a society.”