The Vista Oct. 16, 2007

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See Sports pages 11-12 www.thevistaonline.com

The Student Voice of the University of Central Oklahoma Since 1903

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ANTI-ABORTION GROUP MAKES PRESENCE FELT by Andrew Knittle Staff Writer

20-25 The percentage of American women who choose abortion in the nation's 6 million documented pregnancies annually. Half of these pregnancies are unintended.

15-40 The percentage of known pregnancies that end in spontaneous abortions. Spontaneous abortions occur naturally and are also called miscarriages.

1973 The year the Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade. The Court's decision made abortion a legal practice throughout the nation.

18006 Although abortion was commonly practiced by Native Americans and early colonists, the practice was made illegal in the mid1800s due to crude and unsafe medical practices. Source: Planned Parenthood

One of the nation's touchiest subjects reared its hotbuttoned head on campus Monday as anti-abortion group Justice For All set up shop, complete with gutwrenching photos of dead fetuses, just north of Broncho Lake. As to be expected, opinions fell on both sides of the fence. Umair Rafique, a design junior, is pro-choice and said he didn't agree with the way Justice For All communicated its position on abortion. "It's not a very balanced way to present abortion," Rafique said. "They should show more from both sides." Rafique believes that Justice For All, a national group funded solely through private donations, doesn't take in to account factors like rape, age or adoption as they present their hard line stance on one of the most debatable topics in the world. "If a woman has the right to procreate, then she has the right to get rid of the life, too," Rafique said. "I think the activists and their display could make people feel guilty if they've had an abortion." Mandy Fulling, a senior at Christian Heritage High School in Del City, was bused in to see the Justice For All display and said that although the ads were a little disturbing, she still doesn't support abortion. "I think it's definitely an in-your-face display," Fulling said. "I think that life is valuable and through the pictures you can definitely tell it's a person. I am a

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by Vista photographer Chris Albers

Students at illegal.

a pro-life exhibition on campus Monday were asked to write their position on making abortion

Christian and believe that God created us and it's a logical conclusion, as well as by the evidence shown." Gut Wrenching Photos -

As part of its presentation tactics, Justice For All displays large, high-quality photos of aborted fetuses in various stages of development. Factoids, many of which are debatable, accompany the graphic pictures. Tammy Cook, a full-time

employee of the group, travels the country with Justice For All. When asked why Justice For All uses such sensitive photos, Cook compared her group's display to the funeral of Emmett Till, a young black man who was brutally beaten to death in Money, Miss., in 1955. "Emmett Till's mother insisted that her son's casket be open, because she wanted to open the casket on racism," Cook said. "We're open-

ing the casket on abortion." Eva Dodlez, a philosophy professor at UCO, set up a pro-choice booth. across from Justice For All along with Will Andrews, the web designer for the College of Liberal Arts. According to Dodlez and Andrews, Justice For All uses skewed stats and misleading information to get its point across. "I don't have any problem with the shock stuff," Dodlez said. "What I do object to

POVERTY SHOWCASED DURING SHACK-A-THON

is the fact that they're presenting falsehoods. You're not entitled to tell lies in the middle of the debate." United For Pro-Choice, the newly formed group founded by Dodlez and Andrews, asserts that many of the statements made by Justice For All are based on skewed studies and biased statistics, including the fact that abortion causes the fetus pain and that women who have abortions may suffer

see ABORTION, page 5

Festival Promotes Culture by Abha Eli Phoboo Staff Writer

by Vista photographer Chris Albers

Kelly Sanders, senior, helps construct a cardboad shack by Broncho Lake on Sunday for UCO's "Shack-a-Thon." The event is to help kick off Poverty Awareness Week on campus.

The International Festival this year is scheduled 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., October 25 at Nigh University Center. The event is free and open to the public. Organized by the International Student Council (ISC), the festival is among the top five signature events of UCO and the biggest production of the international community on campus. This year, there are around 13 country student organizations and three non-country organizations participating in the event. "The international festival has been a success in the previous years and we hope to continue that formula for success," said Jonathan Nazari, president of the ISC. The organizing committee expect around 2,000-3,000 visitors. "We expect a large attendance since we have

see FEST, page 5

News Central Channel 6 Mon. through Thurs. at 5 p.m.

Seventy-seven percent of antiabortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant. —Planned Parenthood advertisement

UCOSTUDENTLANDS ART EXHIBIT PAGE 4


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