A diverse crowd of students filled Young Hall auditorium Monday
night and heard Feminists for Life President Serrin Foster and
celebrity Patricia Heaton condemn abortion as immoral.
Heaton, who stars on the hit CBS show “Everybody Loves
Raymond,” said she was trying to create a new discussion on
abortion on college campuses because she believes that there
isn’t enough discussion today, and she wanted “an
honest, reasoned discussion about abortion and about
pregnancy.”
The event was co-sponsored by two on-campus organizations,
Living Hope and Bruins for Life.
“I really felt there was a need on this campus to address
the issue of abortion, what it really is and its effects on our
society,” said Charissa Arlen, president of Living Hope.
Bruins for Life president Stephen Saroki expressed his concern
that students at UCLA are too apathetic about important issues
unless they are affected directly. The organizers of this event do
not have identical perspectives, nor do they agree with Feminists
for Life on every aspect of abortion issues.
The two speakers lectured to a largely anti-abortion audience
““ composed of students who identified themselves with the
Democratic, Republican and Green parties.
Foster said she looks out for all parties involved with an
abortion ““ mother, father and child ““ something that
they contend abortion rights groups don’t do.
“Most people say that pro-lifers are only interested in
the baby and have no concern for the woman involved, but our
interest is to look out for all parties, most importantly the woman
and life inside her,” Saroki said.
Bruin Democrats President Kristina Meshelski, who considers
herself an abortion rights supporter and did not attend the event,
argues that she strongly supports the rights of babies but that a
fetus, or unborn child, is not a baby. She also said anti-abortion
groups disregard the rights of babies.
“Pro-life groups convince people to have babies, but they
are left with no support from the same people who convinced them to
have the baby,” Meshelski said.
Feminists for Life also seeks to overturn the landmark Roe v.
Wade Supreme Court case and ban abortions in almost all instances,
even in cases of rape and incest.
In the 1973 case the court divided a woman’s nine-month
pregnancy into trimesters, and allowed women to seek an abortion
without state interference within the first two trimesters. After
this time, the state has discretion over whether to administer an
abortion.
Foster added that only a comprehensive ban would prevent women
from being “coerced” by well-meaning family, friends
and boyfriends into getting an abortion that they don’t
really want.
Meshelski does not want legislation to take away her right to
have an abortion.
“Being a woman, having control over my own health is
important to me,” Meshelski said.
Foster gained a round of applause from the audience by adding
that abortions don’t erase rape, and the only good thing to
ever come from a rape is a baby.
Both Bruins for Life and Living Hope are in their second years
here at UCLA. Though neither group is large, both said they hope
their organizations will grow. Saroki cited established
anti-abortion organizations at UC Berkeley as examples of how he
would like for his organization to grow each year.
“I would say that we were laying the groundwork last year
and this year we are working to achieve our goals,” Arlen
said.