Abortion Crosses Fill University Yard

On Monday, 4,000 crosses radiated from the center of University Yard as an illustration by Colonials for Life about abortions on the self-proclaimed “GW Pro-Life Day,” which was met with mixed reactions.

The “Cemetery of the Innocents” display was designed to remember the 4,000 abortions performed daily, explained Maura Reilly ’10, vice president of Colonials for Life.

“It’s more powerful seeing it as a visual representation, like Arlington Cemetery, than just a number,” said Reilly.

The display received appreciation, apathy, and sneers from passersby, but Vickie Graf ’10 who serves as president for the group said the response was “positive overall.” She said some people said it was interesting, but Reilly also said people did scoff and make snide comments.

One e-board member was approached by a girl who had an abortion, and another girl barked the word “disgusting” at the group’s members during an interview. However, Reilly said, “Generally people have been respectful.”

When the group members began hammering each cross into the grass area around 8:30 a.m., Graf said they received their first “thank you.”

“We could have stopped right there because that was all I wanted…one person,” she said.

Some of these reactions cannot be classified as surprising after the cross desecration incident in the College Republican office, where a member of the College Democrats defaced some crosses used in a similar abortion event hosted by Young America’s Foundation (YAF). Reilly said Colonials For Life waited to publicly announce the date for their own display until the actual day of the event to avoid sabotage.

Graf said she did not anticipate a similar incident because this display was out in the open, not in a secluded office. Colonials for Life actually used the same crosses from the incident, as the crosses were supplied from the same vendor of the Westchester Right to Life group.

The pro-life day also featured an evening speaker on the concentrated impact of abortion on the African American community, and both Graf and Reilly described the day as the group’s culminating activity, as a new e-board is elected on Tuesday night. Founded in 2003, Colonials for Life’s display was the sixth annual “Cemetery of the Innocents.”

“Growing up in a Catholic household, I was pro-life, so it was something I was passionate about, more so when I came to GW, which is interesting,” said Reilly, who clarified that she thought students lean toward pro-choice upon coming to college.

Graff added: “At a school like GW, people argue about abortion as an intangible issue…when you see the number of babies killed per day on the way to class…then you can see it.”