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CV NEWS FEED // Students at Loyola University Chicago, a Catholic Jesuit school, protested a pro-life demonstration on campus Nov. 22 and expressed their support of abortion.
Loyola’s student newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix, reported that the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League brought a sign depicting an aborted baby’s foot captioned “She’ll never learn to walk” to the sidewalk demonstration, prompting students to create their own homemade signs in protest.
The students’ signs, written on small pieces of paper, ranged from “Abortion is healthcare” and “Live Laugh Love Abortion” slogans to derogatory comments about the pro-life advocates.
According to the Phoenix, Pro-Life League’s Director of Communications Matt Yonke said that one student spit on one of the pro-life advocates. He also said Dean of Students Will Rodriguez was present at the demonstration and did nothing to reprimand the student.
“I’ve been extremely impressed by the student body here at Loyola,” Yonke said. “They are intelligent and articulate and have a lot of opinions, but I am deeply, deeply disappointed in the Dean of Students here.”
The Loyola Phoenix reported that Rodriguez said he did not see the incident occur.
The Loyola Phoenix also reported that the pro-life protest “unintentionally coincided with the Students for Reproductive Justice’s weekly Free Condom Friday.” SRJ members distributed free contraception and held signs that read “My Body My Choice.”
One pro-life advocate, Hope Miller, said that she appreciated the interactions with the student body at Loyola.
“It feels like we’re making a difference even if they don’t agree with us,” Miller told the student newspaper. “The conversation is happening, and that’s a win.”
