On Nov. 2, many in the ETSU community filled Borchuck Plaza to observe, protest and interact with the pro-life speakers and displays from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR).
Students walking to class as early as 8:30 a.m. saw the group setting up outside of Charles C. Sherrod Library.
“I live in Davis, so I went to both of my classes and had to walk past this,” said ETSU student Sarah Blevins.
The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform calls this display the Genocide Awareness Project, traveling from campus to campus across the country.
According to their website, the exhibit “juxtaposes images of aborted embryos and fetuses with images of victims of historical and contemporary genocides and other injustices.”
A crowd began to gather with people protesting or engaging with CBR participants handing out brochures. A board was also set up behind the display where students could answer the question “Free speech: what do you think?”. The displays depicted graphic images related to the cause.
“I’ve always been interested in hearing people’s opinions, but when it does get graphic and unnecessary, that’s when I’m going to come in and say something,” added Blevins.
Rachel Harrington, Turning Point USA at ETSU president, mentioned that she has worked with the Genocide Awareness Project, but was unaware that Turning Point USA was listed on the reservation instead of just herself until today.
“CBR likes to work with students on campus so they have less issues with reserving space, university administration, so some students that are involved in our organization decided to get involved,” said Harrington.
According to Fletcher Armstrong, the southwest director of the CBR, the group will continue to be present in Borchuck Plaza until Thursday, Nov. 3. The group has recently set up at University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We don’t call what we do a protest,” explained Fletcher Armstrong, southeast director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. “We don’t protest abortion, we expose abortion, and then abortion simply protests itself. When people see these pictures they are horrified, and these pictures protest abortion, we don’t have to.”
Armstrong became involved in the project at the start when it initially came to the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s campus in 1998. He quit his engineering job to fully become involved with the organization.
Another group of activists placed their signs on the ground and sat beside the other group, as part of Students for Life of America. Their website describes the group as “one of the leading pro-life advocacy organizations in the world.”
“We want the best for the women and the child,” said Sophia Herrell, as a member of Students for Life for America. “It’s not that we are oppressing women, it’s that we want to save babies and we want women to make the best choices for themselves.”
In response to the crowd, Armstrong shared that the dialogue with students was healthy and in the best interest of the First Amendment.
“We want everyone to have the right to creative expression. As far as I’m concerned, when people come out and protest against us and hold up signs, as long as they’re not interfering with our right to free speech, what they’re doing is healthy.”
Harrington mentioned that Turning Point USA at ETSU advocates for the freedom of speech, and this is an example of that freedom.
“TPUSA supports the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform’s right to show the display at ETSU as the university is a public campus and is protected by the first amendment.”
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