Heated debate ends abortion forum

University professors and pro-choice advocates Peter Singer and Lee Silver went head to head last night with two pro-life noteworthies — Princeton professor Russ Nieli and Dan Robinson, a Georgetown University professor — in a debate on the legalization of abortion. Princeton Theological Seminary professor Nancy Duff took the middle ground.

Carlos Ramon-Mrosovsky '04 and Emily Garin '02 joined in the debate as well, on the pro-life and pro-choice sides, respectively.

The debate, entitled "Resolved: Abortion Should Not Be Permitted By Law," was the final event in a week-long Abortion Forum hosted by the Whig-Cliosophic Society.

President of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy Janet Benshoof opened the forum on Tuesday night, speaking on behalf of the pro-choice position. According to Abortion Forum Chairman Brad Simmons '03, Benshoof is a prominent lawyer who has argued before the Supreme Court and has a background in legal history.

Benshoof argued that many of the legal pillars that uphold abortion are now being eroded. She was especially critical of the Bush administration in this regard.

Cathy Cleaver, spokeswoman for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Activities, articulated the pro-life position on Wednesday night, focusing on the ethical aspects of abortion.

"I appreciated her presentation," Simmons said. "She gave the facts, explained why she does not think abortion is right — even though it may be legal — and tried to convince people to choose not to have abortions."

According to Whig-Clio president Jon Ophardt '03, the forum was a step toward Whig-Clio's goal of becoming a forum for balanced political discussion on campus.

"Whig-Clio has played a central role for political thought and discourse on campus since the University's conception," Ophardt said. "We thought this would be an opportunity for Whig-Clio to step back into the role it used to fill."

"Recently there have been separate speeches from the pro-choice and pro-life groups on campus, but a forum presenting both sides hasn't been a possibility until now," he said.

Lauren Turner '04, who attended the Wednesday night lecture, agreed that the value of this forum was its presentation of opinions from both sides of the issue.

"People should know the facts from both sides and be able to think and consider before formulating their own opinions," she said.

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Simmons said that he and other Whig-Clio leaders chose abortion as the topic of their forum because of its relevance to college students.

"The issue of abortion is very pertinent, especially among young college men and women," Simmons said. "Most [students] either know people who are encountering decisions regarding pregnancies or will be themselves encountering this issue in the near future."

Ophardt said he was excited to see the large turnout last night, though he said he wished the forum had been better attended on the whole. "I'm a little disappointed," Ophardt said, "but I know we're all busy people. Most people choose just one event to attend, so they came to the debate."

Though both Ophardt and Simmons agreed that they hoped the forum would stimulate campus discussion on abortion, they said their greatest desire was that the forum would encourage people to reevaluate their positions on the topic.

"This is not just about discussion but about people's decision making," Ophardt said. "We have to have political discourse and discussion so people can make political decisions and hone their political ideologies."