‘I was starting to panic:’ Anti-abortion group garners fear, anger from WSU students
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Wichita State student Claire Kennard said it was a shock to walk out of class and see anti-abortion protesters lining the campus sidewalks with graphic signs. The musical theater major said it brought back many traumatic memories.
“My heart was pounding out of my chest,” Kennard said. “When I got to the RSC, I was starting to panic.”
On Friday, March 3, protesters from Free the States and others were on Wichita State’s main campus to “educate college students.” Group members deem themselves “abolitionists,” with the goal to abolish and criminalize abortion in the United States.
“College campuses are places where you really need to go to try to change people’s minds and hearts,” Russell Hunter, executive director at Free the States, said.
Hunter differentiated Free the States from pro-life groups, saying that they believe in the immediate abolition of abortion, not its regulation.
“Laws against murder should apply equally to all humans,” Hunter said. “The thing protecting you from being murdered should also protect the (fetus) to the best of the ability.”
Protesters held posters with imagery meant to spark discussion about abortion. They also handed out pamphlets and stopped students on their way to class to talk with them.
“(It’s) emotionally really hard to get to my next class,” Kennard said. “Every single protester coming up and offering a pamphlet … was a little scary.”
The protest at Wichita State’s campus was part of a series of conference events throughout the week. The day before, March 2, the group protested in downtown Wichita.
The conference was titled “Bleeding Kansas,” referencing the period of unrest between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas.
Musical theater student Tim Hampton said, as a Black man, it hurts to see protesters compare abortion to slavery.
“I talked to a man who basically said that slavery and abortion are the same thing,” Hampton said.
A rape survivor, Kennard said the protesters lacked empathy for survivors of traumatic experiences like herself, as well as knowledge on abortion.
“I understand that it’s supposed to be an emotional ‘got ya’ moment and catch you off guard,” Kennard said. “But for me, it just reminds me of my past …. experiences.”
Hampton said he believes that the protesters were not handling themselves appropriately, and it felt like a “militia” was present on campus.
“When you are showing graphic images of bloody fetuses with all your children around … first of all the kids should be in school,” Hampton said.
Many passing students threw remarks of frustration at the protesters.
“What’s funny is they always say we are yelling from a press point of view. It’ll be like ‘these people came on campus and yelled,’ but really it is the students,” Hunter said. “I’ve been told to go to hell out here, so it’s who do you think is yelling to go to hell? Us or you?”
During the protest, some students and faculty even offered to walk individuals to class to make them feel safer.
“The (protesters) are very obtuse and brain dead and not really willing to listen to anything but then will heckle at us and call us stupid for not having intelligent conversations with them,” Hampton said.
Emmie Boese is starting her fourth year on The Sunflower's staff. Boese previously served as sports editor and opinion editor. Boese is majoring...
Chris • Mar 7, 2023 at 10:33 pm
It is hard to believe these complaints are coming from a college. I guess it shows how little the issue of abortion is brought up and exposes a great need their is for Abolitionists to expose the truth.
Jasmine • Mar 10, 2023 at 3:44 pm
Respectfully,
First of all, these are not complaints from a college. Not the college as an institution, but the individuals, the students, the people who GO to college.
Secondly, the issue is NOT about if abortion is right or wrong. This is not a debate or discussion of Pro-Abortion rights or Anti-Abortion rights. This is about the TACTICS used by an organization. The “Abolitionists” made students feel unsafe at institution and place of education. THAT is the issue at hand. They actively stopped students who were on their way to classes. They made survivors of violence and assault feel disrespected and their experiences minimized. It is not about the conversation, it is about the way this organization operated.
Third, the topic of abortion is a wide-spread matter that is discussed. WSU offers many courses about Women and Gender Studies, alongside healthcare, biology, or Pre-med courses — therefore abortion is discussed in a multitude of settings.
Free speech should not be employed at the expense of local students’s safety and place of learning. WSU is a college and education setting first, before it is a stage for acts like this.
anon • Mar 10, 2023 at 3:48 pm
Respectfully,
The issue is NOT about if abortion is right or wrong. This is about the tactics used by an organization. The “Abolitionists” made students feel unsafe at institution and place of education. They actively stopped students who were on their way to classes. They made survivors of violence and assault feel disrespected and their experiences, minimized. It is not about the conversation, it is about the way this organization operated.
WSU is an educational institution before it is a stage for these types of acts.
Anonymous • Mar 4, 2023 at 5:23 pm
Anti-abortion tactics in Kansas are often terrorism. Smells like it once again.
Alyssa Pfeifer • Mar 4, 2023 at 5:23 pm
My little sister was harassed MULTIPLE times on campus yesterday and I am furious. Freedom of speech exists, but not to harm, scare or intimidate WSU students. I am furious about this blatant act of fear mongering and truly disappointed in my university for allowing this to happen all day. My heart goes out to the students who were emotionally impacted. Signed, an angry WSU senior.