On Monday, Oct. 21, many Villanova students were greeted by a new sight as they walked to class. Outside of Alumni Hall, there were several small crosses, arranged in some kind of memorial. 

According to the sign that was placed next to the crosses, each cross represented a certain number of abortions that took place in the United States this year. The crosses were placed there by Villanovans for Life, Villanova’s Pro-Life Organization. 

I am not going to get into the biology of when life begins or the morality of abortions right now. I do not agree with the message behind the crosses, but that is also not even what I am going to talk about.  

Reproductive rights have been a huge topic since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, and they became an even bigger conversation since the election season began. The topic is incredibly polarizing among most Americans. 

The second I heard about the crosses, I was mad, which is a fair response, in my opinion. These kinds of things elicit strong reactions in people, and I am no stranger to flying off the handle because of certain political topics. 

However, I have calmed down slightly, and I am ready to share my less-angry opinions on the matter.   

I do believe in freedom, which is one of the many reasons I am pro-choice to begin with, so I do not want to say that you cannot have a demonstration. I support peaceful protests, even if I do not agree with them. I support standing up for your political beliefs, even if I do not agree with them.  

With the election coming up, many Americans are using this time to speak out for their beliefs. One of the main issues on this year’s ballot is reproductive rights. It begs the question of if this demonstration is supposed to be a political move, or if it really is just to remember the fetuses. 

To me, it feels incredibly politically-charged. Honestly, the whole thing just kind of feels abhorrent, for the lack of a better term. 

Reproductive rights are such a huge issue in this year’s election and to boil them down to what abortions do to fetuses is completely arrogant and immature in my opinion. It is so much more than that, and I think a lot more people understand that than are willing to admit.  

I think that the biggest issue most students, including myself, have about the crosses is their proximity to the church. Even though there is a small sign depicting the meaning of the crosses and who put them there, it does feel like Villanova and the church stand by the meaning behind the crosses.  

Religion is always going to be brought into conversations about abortion, making the conversations surrounding it almost impossible sometimes. Not every religious person interprets teachings the same way. Not every Christian interprets the bible the same way. Not every Christian is pro-life.  

“God would want what is best of his creation, and sometimes, that might mean an abortion,” sophomore Peter Fabietti said.

With Villanova being a Catholic school, it is obvious that Catholic messages are going to be around campus. There is no fighting that. However, while the Catholic Church itself is pro-life, it is not the job of the Catholic Church to force everyone to be pro-life. 

I do think that the placement of the crosses is a problem, but, honestly, I think if they were anywhere on campus, it would still reflect on Villanova and its beliefs. 

“If I was a high school student on a tour and I saw that, I would not come here,” sophomore Samantha Whitehair said.  

There is already a hesitancy around going to a Catholic school for a lot of prospective students, and a demonstration like this might give off the wrong message.  

There is something to be said about being inclusive to all beliefs, but when your belief shames and potentially endangers women, it becomes very complicated.   

Again, I support the concept of a demonstration, even though I really could not disagree with this one more. If it were up to me, I would say let’s keep the crosses, but let’s also put up a cross for every woman who has died because she was refused care after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Keep the crosses up but add one for every rape victim who is forced to carry a baby that was forced upon her. Keep the crosses up and memorialize the fetuses if you want, but let’s remember the women whose lives were lost, and all the lives that will be lost if we continue down the path we are on in this country.