All Photos Courtesy of Senior David Jones
On the morning of September 30th, The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP), a Christian organization, stood on the corners of Harrisburg Avenue, holding signs that read “Abortion is a Daily 9/11,” and “HONK Against Abortion.” Founded in 1971, TFP has over 120,00 active members, volunteers, and donors who are “concerned about the moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christian civilization.” They claim to promote “an appreciation for healthy and just social inequalities, and traditional elites” as well as “penance and conversion” and “the right to own firearms” among others. What they oppose, is contraception, abortion, “the social acceptance of homosexual practice,” and “the enactment of State laws forcing clergy to violate the seal of Confession in cases of child abuse” among a slew of other extreme Christian far-right ideologies.
The pro-life protestors offered red pamphlets titled “Ten Reasons to Protect the Unborn” to students walking by. The pamphlet listed the reasons why humans must not remain “indifferent to such intense human slaughter” stating that “There are no expectations allowed, no compromises possible.” It also cites the Catholic Medical Association, arguing that there is a link between induced abortion and breast cancer. The pamphlet also denounces “embryonic stem-cell and human cloning research” which they believe is used to “produce usable cells that can be manipulated and harvested to aid the living.” In short, TFP expresses a high concern for a “biotech revolution” that will change “the very makeup and design of man itself.” One of the concluding reasons against abortion declares Roe v Wade to be the “biggest pack of lies ever set in motion,” stating that abortion is “numerically on par with Hitler’s Germany or Stalin’s Russia.”
In a counter-protest, a group of F&M students gathered on the curb adjacent to the TFP, holding their own signs that read “No Uterus, No Opinion,” and “What She Said.” Vincent Pham, a senior in attendance at the counter-protest, told The College Reporter that several cars drove past TFP and cheered, and two people even stopped to give them money.
F&M Students Stand Outside the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center With Pro-Life Signs
TFP’s pro-life stance is woven into the organization’s very inception. On their website, it is noted that Roe v. Wade’s connection to the fight for women’s rights is nothing short of falsehood. Instead, it is a “destruction of Christian morals” that “advanced the sexual revolution because it allowed women to be sexually active without the consequence of pregnancy.”
Junior Bilaal Degener engaged in a healthy debate with TFP. He shared with TCR staff that one older man led the protest group and adamantly asserted that Christian beliefs dictate that no one has the right to take a human life. Degener contested this claim by asking when during pregnancy is a baby an “independent human,” to which they replied conception.
The Opposing Corners
Two F&M students protested with the TFP side. No women stood on the pro-life side. When asked if the conversation was productive, Degener recognized his privilege as a straight, white student, noting that it “definitely made them more receptive towards [him].” He observed the varying attitudes of the men from the protest. One TFP member “would not look [him] in the eyes,” while another, Degener, stated engaged in a “more productive conversation.” Many F&M students remained there for 2 hours with their own homemade signs, until TFP left Harrisburg Pike at around 4:15 p.m., leaving in a van parked behind College Row.
A TFP Member Holding A Sign That Reads, “Smile! You Survived Abortion”
TFP also campaigns for political topics outside of abortion. In 2015, they issued a public statement regarding the United States Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges which legalized same-sex marriage. An excerpt from the message reads: “In the most powerful nation on earth today, five liberal judges reinterpreted the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to discover that it contains a constitutional right to same-sex ‘marriage’.” TFP accredited this court decision to an “evolving notion of liberty” that ruptured history, destroyed tradition, and redefined marriage. Another campaign the organization supports is against blasphemies that involve “art exhibits, plays, movies, cartoons, and books. In recent years, the TFP has organized rallies in reparation for satanic black masses performed in Oklahoma and blasphemous Broadway shows and art exhibits in New York City.”
One TFP Member Plays the Bagpipes as Another Holds a Banner With the Organization’s Crest.
Open discourse and disagreement are pillars of a liberal arts education; fostering critical thinking that shall hopefully lead students to comfortably challenge their own assumptions, arriving at a state of intellectual resilience. However, balancing the necessity for open discourse in a calming environment is easier said than done. When discussions become polarized, and ideologies on both sides stifle the production of effective critical engagement, what are we to do?
Junior Anna Chiaradonna is the Editor-In-Chief of The College Reporter. Her email is achiarad@fandm.edu