Decision still debated

Protesters and activists in the abortion battle are preparing for Jan. 22, which marks the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. On campus, student groups are planning initiatives to spread their views on the highly controversial issue.\nAbortions have been legal in the United States since 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled that a woman's right to an abortion falls under her right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment.\nIU Students for Life will be cooperating with the Monroe County Right to Life in a candlelight vigil and a walk to the Knights of Columbus memorial Sunday at 5 p.m.\n"It's been 30 years too long," IUSFL member senior Cherry Blattert said. "We're hoping that people will see abortion for what it is -- the death of a baby."\nConversely, IU's Campus for Choice (CFC) will be holding its own initiative in conjunction with the Roe v. Wade anniversary. The group will be giving out information at the Indiana Memorial Union Commons desk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday as well as handing out pamphlets and prophylactics on campus.\n"It's one of the main political issues affecting young people, especially young women," Campus for Choice President Rebecca Bartlett said. \nBartlett believes government is beginning to stray away from pro-choice views, especially in Indiana.\n"It's important to get involved. Indiana has many controversial restrictions on clinics, so this is an issue where your vote really counts," Bartlett said.\nSince the 2000 election, Republicans have succeeded in pushing some pro-life legislation, the most notable being the Partial-Birth Abortion Act, which passed in the House of Representatives but not the Senate.\n"(Anti-choice) ideas have been crystallized by the government in recent years, since the Republican takeover of Congress and the election of President Bush," Bartlett said.\nFor IUSLF, however, the changes are too few.\n"If murder is illegal, then abortion should be, as well," IUSLF President Melody Kanney said. "A baby is a person, it's just not as developed as the rest of us."\nThough they differ in their outlook on abortion, organizations IUSFL and CFC have much in common. Similarly run, each organization holds weekly meetings for core members and periodic mass meetings, often featuring guest speakers. Both will be encouraging members to write letters to the IDS and other newspapers in conjunction with the Roe v. Wade anniversary. In the past, both groups have participated in campus events such as "Take Back the Night" to support women's issues. When IUSLF brought the Genocidal Awareness Project to IU in the fall of 2001, CFC was even there to protest against it.\nYet through the debate, both sides agree abortion must stay at the forefront as an issue in America.\n"People just need to talk about it with friends, relatives -- people who agree or disagree about it," Kanney said. "Once people begin to think about it, then they can decide whether it is right or wrong"