Roe v. Wade is viewed by most college students as the symbol of women's protection and health in America. We are told that without this decision, women would be constantly in danger of self-induced abortion.This misconception needs to be challenged by compassionate, friendly conservatives. My peers and I at the College of William & Mary are working together to correct the pro-life record.My pro-life group members and I made our views known on a chalkboard at campus' middle October. Thousands of William & Mary students were trapped in their dorms because of COVID-19, unleashing their anger. Our small group of pro-lifers, mostly young women, became the focus of much controversy and was even subject to a vicious cancel culture.We wrote messages affirming the dignity of all human beings born and preborn. We said things such as: Give women resources; Size, location and gender do not define personhood; Love the mother and her baby.Students claimed that our compassion messages, including our use of the term women to describe pregnant women, provoked anger from all sides.Students flooded social media claiming that the pro-life group tried to repeal human rights by opposing Roe V. Wade. This decision effectively supported unlimited abortions up until birth.Many people accused us of racism. They claimed Roe v. Wade unfairly protected women of color. My pro-life group comprises about half non-whites who work at predominantly white institutions. These progressives have never considered the fact that abortiondisproportionately kills children of color in the womb.William & Mary colleagues were comfortable referring to unstudied generalizations. However, in individual conversations they could not name specific abortion cases nor explain the implications.My generation was taught the lie that Roe V. Wade protects women's rights and that opposing views are not acceptable. I was disturbed at the unchallenged leftist liturgy of my campus. I created a newspaper to educate William & Mary faculty and students about the views suppressed by our school and the evidence supporting them.Social pressure kept me from speaking out about my conservative views at times as I was the opinions editor on campus' establishment newspaper. My opinions were ignored when I spoke out.I wrote an opinion piece for the paper after the chalkboard incident. The staff delayed publishing my piece for several weeks, rather than including it alongside an aggressively prochoice essay that was published the same week. I eventually withdrew my opinion and started planning to create a new outlet on campus, The Christopher Wren Journal. This is where my pro-life piece is published. This article was not published by the campus newspaper staff.We were bombarded with hateful, explicit and threats within minutes of the website's launch. Students responded to the pro-life articles with the same tired talking points. Contrary to what the facts say, young people believe that pro-life views are threatening women's lives. This fallacy is perpetuated by education, media, and the wider society.According to polls, only 58% of Americans are against Roe v. Wade's repeal (2021), but 70% support some restrictions on abortion (2020). This is a surprising discrepancy considering that Roe V. Wade, along with Doe V. Bolton, forced all nine-month-old pregnant women to allow abortion.Roe v. Wade endorses unlimited abortion on demand. This endorsement was made before cutting-edge scientific advances that definitively substantiate unborn personhood. The mainstream media has helped Planned Parenthood market Roe v. Wade to be the glue that holds women's rights together in America.Contrary to popular belief, states could make their own abortion laws if Roe V. Wade was overturned. To give the impression that abortion will be outlawed immediately, the abortion lobby ignores this fact. The statistical discrepancies become clearer when you consider how Americans were misled about Roe v. Wade's true meaning.We are anticipating the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs-v. Jackson, an abortion decision that could decide the fate of Roe V. Wade. Conservatives need to close the gap between those who favor abortion restrictions and those who support Roe v. Wade.We should be vocal and compassionate when it comes to abortion. Not only to get the support of those who already believe in us but also to persuade Americans to accept other viewpoints. We have the numbers and biological facts on our side. Only we need to correct the lies that are being told to young people.Pro-life views taught me how important it is to acknowledge the uniqueness of God in each person, regardless of whether they are preborn or shouting at me from across aisles. Some people will not be convinced. Others will hear the truth. Humility, honesty and kindness are the keys to bringing others along for the journey of life. I have learned from my experience that people need to hear us louder and clearer if they aren't hearing us.Do you have a comment about this article? Send us an email at [email protected] with your comments. We may publish them in our We Hear You section. Include the URL of the article or the headline, along with your name and the town/state.
