Free speech does prevail

Last week, after a long legal battle and a controversy that divided the campus, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and IU Students for Life finally brought the Genocide Awareness Project to campus. Set up near the Sample Gates, the GAP display featured large photographs of aborted fetuses alongside images of the Holocaust and racial lynchings from America's past -- images that the people behind GAP wanted to equate with abortion.\nMany of the images were disturbing and caused strong emotional reactions. The University denied the center's original request to set up the display behind Woodburn Hall, citing a long-standing policy that Dunn Meadow is IU's free speech zone. GAP sued the University, saying that it was trying to hide the display in a low-traffic area.\nIt was never a question of whether GAP should be allowed to express its opinions, it was a question of how to do it in a way that allowed them to do so without disrupting the business of the University. It was a question of making sure the rest of the University responded with ideas, not violence.\nThe University community rose to the occasion.\nEveryone involved on both sides of the controversy managed to express their opinions in a civil, intelligent manner. Representatives from Campus for Choice set up a table to provide the pro-choice side of the debate. Some passersby engaged the members of GAP in discussions about the topic, but they always remained calm despite the emotional content of the subject. The IU Police Department reported no major incidents from either side.\nThis is what free speech should be. Whether you believe abortions are a matter of personal choice or believe that abortion should be illegal, there was a place for you to voice that opinion last week.\nThe campus community should be applauded for again upholding the role of the university as a forum for free and civil debate.\n