Both sides of Roe v. Wade debate rally on Purdue campus

Margaret Christopherson, Lafayette Journal & Courier
·3 min read
Purdue students march against the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. The student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest at Purdue University, on May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette, Ind., came days after a draft opinion was leaked to Politico.
Purdue students march against the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. The student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest at Purdue University, on May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette, Ind., came days after a draft opinion was leaked to Politico.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – An estimated 100 Purdue students took part in a protest Wednesday evening reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision legalizing abortion.

The student-run protest, titled "Protect Roe v. Wade," drew students from both sides of the issue.

"I think it's really important that anyone of any gender realizes that this impacts them fully," Ryan Branstetter, a protest attendee, said. "If they can just overturn court cases like this, it opens up a whole doorframe of other court cases that can get overturned. Things that are really important, like marriage equality. Things that just affect everyone."

Zoe, a student at Purdue University, demonstrates against the possible Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest drew demonstrators from both sides of the debate, May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette.
Zoe, a student at Purdue University, demonstrates against the possible Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest drew demonstrators from both sides of the debate, May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette.

Earlier this week, Politico published a leaked draft of the Supreme Court's decision apparently overturning the original 1973 ruling. Since then, protests all over the country have popped up, including one in front of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse Tuesday.

Some attendees Wednesday night opposed the government making decisions for others.

"It's just not right that other people are making decisions for me," Tatum Prati said. "It's no one's place to make a decision concerning my body."

Some rallying against the possible end of Roe v. Wade worried about how the shift would affect others, not necessarily themselves.

"Why is it important to me? Because it's my rights," Libby Voor said, "It's every woman's right. Even if I wasn't going to choose an abortion, a woman who was in that situation, who needs to have an abortion, should have that right. It's not just about me. It's about every single woman in this country."

Siblings Elly and Evy Spieth attended the Wednesday night protest with Boilermakers for Life, a Purdue-based activism group.

Purdue students march against the recent leak of Supreme Court documents at the student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest at Purdue University, on May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette.
Purdue students march against the recent leak of Supreme Court documents at the student-organized "Protect Roe v. Wade" protest at Purdue University, on May 4, 2022, in West Lafayette.

"We are here to defend human life," Elly said. "We want to raise awareness about the violence of abortion and we want to help raise awareness that there are supports for mothers out there, there are so many (and) our club works with them all the time...I want to stress that this is not a solely Christian or religious battle. Not everyone here is Christian, not everyone here is religious...We argue from a biological standpoint and not a religious one."

Evy echoed her sister's sentiments.

"We just want to reinforce the fact that we're here to defend human life and we want to promote education, and we want to just let people know that there are so many resources out there for women who are pregnant. There are other options out there."

Keely Bayley, a fellow Boilermaker for Life participant, said valuing human life is essential.

"I'm here today because dehumanizing human life is not a solution to the world's problems," Bayley said, "And life is precious at any stage. And it should be protected at every stage. This cause is important because the minute we stop valuing human life, is the minute that we stop being decent human beings."

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Both sides of Roe v. Wade debate rally on Purdue campus