Voices for Choice (VOX) commemorated the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Tuesday by displaying 100 wire hangers on the Tisch Library patio. Meanwhile, Jumbos for Life protested the monumental Supreme Court decision with a flag exhibition on the Academic Quad.
VOX, Tufts' reproductive rights group, used each hanger to represent two women who died from illegal abortions in 1965, said sophomore Alyssa Ursillo, the organization's vice president and secretary.
Jumbos for Life, Tufts' anti-abortion group, placed 1,000 miniature pink and blue flags on the lawn in front of East Hall to symbolize the approximately 3,600 abortions that take place daily in the United States.
Roe v. Wade was a landmark Supreme Court decision that established abortion as a right for all Americans. It overturned all state and federal laws prohibiting the procedure.
With some of the current high court's more liberal justices seemingly approaching retirement, some have raised questions of whether more conservative judges might take their places. This rearranged court could eventually overturn Roe v. Wade, some analysts say.
Junior Dan Hartman, the president of the Tufts Republicans, said that Jumbos for Life's exhibition was meant to cause students to ponder the decision's consequences.
"The display on the quad ... should provide the opportunity for Tufts students to reflect on the effect of the decision, whether they have positive or negative feelings about the decision," he said in an e-mail.
VOX's display, meanwhile, harked back to the era in American history when women used wire hangers to abort their pregnancies because they could not attain safe, legal abortions from doctors.
"Our goal with this event is not to be violent," Ursillo said. "We want people to understand the power of upholding Roe v. Wade. The reality is that illegalizing abortion does not stop [its practice]; it simply makes it unsafe and endangers women's lives."
VOX is an affiliate group of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. The group seeks to increase awareness of reproductive rights and sexual health on Tufts' campus.
Ursillo said that members of VOX were aware that the exhibition could be controversial and somewhat upsetting.
"While the hanger display invokes a graphic image, its purpose is to remind people of what used to happen in the U.S. and what still happens all over the world when the legal right to abortion is taken away," she said.
Ursillo said VOX is prepared to face any backlash that may result from the potentially controversial display.
"While some students may be offended, and there may be some nasty articles written against us, this issue is so important that we felt we had to put it in people's faces," she said. "Many people take Roe v. Wade for granted, so this is our not-so-subtle reminder that the legal right to abortion is constantly being challenged."
Media Relations Coordinator for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Lisa Dacey offered support for the provocative display. "There are lots of ways to deal with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade," she told the Daily. "It's up to them to choose how to recognize it. We support the VOX group." Jumbos for Life Chairperson Jaclyn Thomas, a sophomore, expressed hope that Tuesday's anti-abortion display would shine light on abortion's negative effects.
"It seems to me that a lot of the student body is apathetic to the cause," Thomas said. "We just wanted to make students stop and pause for a second."
Jumbos for Life was officially recognized as Tufts' anti-abortion organization last semester, Thomas said. Members maintain that abortion ends human life, and they hope to change the minds of those who endorse the procedure.
"Our position is that [abortion] is the killing of an innocent child," Thomas said. "We believe that all lives are protected under the Constitution, and we see [abortion] as murder. Any time a person dies ... it's a terrible thing."
