Someone is always going to be unhappy with our message that abortion must be totally and immediately abolished. Rarely, however, do we have as many people as unhappy with us as the students from the Center for Africana Studies (CFAS) at Oklahoma State University were on Wednesday.
Among about a dozen abolitionists engaging students in front of the library, two local Stillwater abolitionists held one of our signs comparing the arguments in favor of slavery to the arguments in favor of abortion. (You can look at the sign up close here.)
The crowd was inordinately offended by the comparison. "Do you know how f----- up this is? Tomorrow is black history month," one student yelled as she inched closer and closer to the abolitionist before being held back by another student.
Eventually, after the group of students grew to about 40, CFAS coordinator Karen Wilson told the students to join her at the CFAS room to debrief in a "safe space." The O'Colly, Oklahoma State's student newspaper, reported: "The coordinator texted all of the students and asked them to meet her at CAfS...There, she let them express their feelings and gave a speech where she said the CAfS is a safe space for all students, regardless of gender, race or sexuality." Of course, abolitionists were not allowed.
The O'Colly also reports that a campus officer joined the students for two hours, and that the chief of police said they could recommend counseling services for "students who don't feel safe on campus."
Why the students didn't feel safe would be a fair question to for a reasonable reader to ask. The abolitionists were kind and unthreatening. Except maybe when the angry student had to be held back by a friend, there was no safety risk whatsoever. Unless, of course, "feeling unsafe" is leftist speak for having their ideas challenged.
Most attempts made by the abolitionists to reason with the students were met with shouting, anger, and scorn. On top of emotion, the students relied on standpoint epistemology and identity politics to avoid the actual content of the discussion: is there a valid comparison to be made between the arguments in favor of slavery and the arguments in favor of abortion? There is. Here are three reasons why.
1) The Arguments Are Identical
As depicted on the sign, the arguments for slavery and abortion are an identical mix of "I should have the autonomy to do what I want without government telling me what to do" and dehumanization of the victim. This fatal concoction is the recipe for most of the great evils of history.
Abortion supporters and slave traders both argued the inferiority of the human beings victimized by their actions. They both refer to those seeking to abolish the practice as religious fanatics. They both argued versions of "Don't like [slavery/abortion], don't [own a slave]/[have an abortion]."
Don't be angry at us for noticing these similarities. Be angry at yourself for dehumanizing preborn children.
2) The Abolitionists Intended Abolitionism to Be Used Against Other Evils
In his 1808 book about the abolition of the slave trade, abolitionist Thomas Clarkson wrote "the perusal of the history of [the abolition of the slave trade] should afford us lessons, which it must be useful to us to know or be reminded of. ... It cannot be otherwise than useful to us to form the opinion...that many of the evils, which are still left among us, may, by a union of wise and virtuous individuals, be greatly alleviated, if not entirely done away."
Clarkson's purpose in writing the book was to teach abolitionists of future evils the lessons that they had learned in the battle against the evil of their age. While different ages have different evils, the same abolitionism should be applied in each case of those in power stripping the vulnerable of all rights and protections. There is a thread of similarity that runs through all real abolitionist movements.
3) The Gravity of the Evil of Abortion Demands it
In her 1824 pamphlet Immediate, Not Gradual Abolition, abolitionist Elizabeth Heyrick wrote, "The interests and prejudices of the West Indian planters, have occupied much too prominent a place in the discussion of this great question. The abolitionists have shewn a great deal too much politeness and accommodation toward these gentleman."
Millions of Americans, including most, if not all, of the angry students, support the murder of children in the womb. Between reported and unreported abortions, the death toll is well north of 100 million. When working to bring bloodshed like that to an end, the fragile sensibilities of those who support the bloodshed is not a factor anyone should take into consideration. The gravity of the evil demands that we do and say everything we can to bring it to an end.
Again, don't be angry at us for observing that your arguments mirror those of the slave traders. Be angry at yourselves for using the arguments of slave traders to oppress preborn children.
Aside from this group of students, Oklahoma State has been a great place for conversations and gospel proclamation. There are many OSU students supportive of the abolitionist cause, and even many of those who oppose it are more open to dialogue than other college students.
We will continue engaging OSU students and we will continue to make the comparison between the arguments in favor of slavery and those in favor of abortion. We encourage other abolitionists to join us in so doing. If you don't have activism materials, head to our gear store and pick up signs (including the abortion-slavery sign if you dare!) and literature, and head to a campus or busy area near you.
For a more in-depth, academic comparison of the fights to abolish slavery and abortion, see T. Russell Hunter's presentation below.
