Operation Rescue Member Speaks

Father Thomas Carleton, a Catholic priest and member of Operation Rescue, argued in a lecture at Harvard Saturday that violence to prevent abortions is justified.

Fifty students gathered in Sever Hall to listen to him and two other activists who have been involved with Operation Rescue. John C. O'Keefe '72 spoke on "The Ideology of Arrogance" and Barbara Bell gave a speech called "Ending the Black Genocide."

The students, who included representatives from Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Wellesley and Dartmouth, came to attend the Ivy League Coalition for Life's eighth semi-annual conference.

But not all the students present came because they agreed with the speakers' views.

Jonathan M. Stein, a Brown sophomore who attended, said he hasn't decided how he stands on the abortion debate.

"I'm not necessarily pro-life--I'm on the verge of deciding," Stein said. "I wanted to see this side: abortion as an issue of morality instead of public policy and civil law."

Nicole P. Armenta '95 said she came to the conference because she's doing her thesis on how visual representation is used in the abortion debate.

Some of those who came to listen were decidedly pro-choice. Moon Duchin '97 said she and a friend had come to listen to the other side of the debate.

Members of the Harvard Radcliffe Alliance for Life, the conference's coordinator, were enthusiastic about the diverse turnout.

"I'm definitely pleased that a lot of pro-choice people have come to listen," said alliance member Craig E. Estes '96. "I think it's a good way to establish some sort of dialogue. It's a clearly a more effective way than yelling."

Outside, there was plenty of yelling. At the start of the conference, the Spartacus Youth League, a Marxist youth organization, formed a picket line of about 35 people in front of Sever.

"Right to Life, you're name's a lie. You don't care if women die!" barked the picketers as they circled on the lawn.

Their message was not limited to the pro-choice issue, however.

"Housing, health care, jobs for all...a worker's government, that's our call!" they chanted, carrying signs that protested not only Operation Rescue and the viewpoints of the speakers, but also U.S. involvement in Haiti.

Caris A. Halpern, a first year student at the Law School, also carried a sign, but she stood away from the rest of the protesters. "This kind of tactic is not appropriate," she said. "I don't think antagonizing the other side changes anybody's mind."

"I don't think this is the way to go about it." Duchin said. "[The protesters] don't really know what's being said inside."

Inside, O'Keefe was saying "the pro-life movement is changing very radically now" and that the time has come to "persuade pro-choice feminists to look at eugenics."

"The pro-life movement here on campus is a lot bigger than it used to be," O'Keefe said.