About a month ago I wrote a blog discussing the two sides of the free speech coin. Now, those two sides are currently playing out right in front of us at Georgetown University.
For those unaware, Georgetown University is a college in Washington DC. Due to its Catholic origin and ties, there was some consternation when the college announced Cecile Richards, CEO of Planned Parenthood and therefore figurehead of big abortion, would be speaking on campus.
To put this in perspective, consider the reaction when pro-life speakers have been invited to speak at liberal universities. For example, just in February of this year, California State University at Los Angeles cancelled a speech scheduled for pro-life advocate Ben Shapiro, instead offering Shapiro a chance to return when the university could line up other speakers to counter his point of view. It is obvious our institutes of higher learning are less concerned with being a marketplace of ideas and more interested in indoctrinating the next generation.
Contrast this with the reaction to Cecile Richard’s visit to Georgetown. Instead of demanding the university silence Richards, the pro-life group on campus is countering her propaganda with the truth. They will have a “we don’t need planned parenthood” display set up in or near the building Richards is giving her talk, and are having Abby Johnson, the head of “And Then There Were None—A Pro-Life Outreach”, give a talk of her own that evening. Michael Khan, president of Georgetown Right to Life, an affiliate of Students for Life America is quoted in this article by townhall.com as saying:
“Abby Johnson has personal experience at Planned Parenthood, and will reveal what the organization is really all about. It is important students learn about Planned Parenthood’s careless disregard for human life, and why Planned Parenthood is bad for women and children. Amidst media bias and abortion defenders, Abby provides clarity to this debate and will offer a positive, life-affirming message of hope and love that defends the most defenseless.”
Congratulations to Mr. Khan and the Georgetown Right to Life for showing Georgetown University, and colleges across the United States, what freedom of speech looks like in practice. We hope others will take note and show those around them that there’s always a reason to choose life.