Students Protest Foundation for Life Outreach

Written By: Lauren York TOLEDO, Ohio – This afternoon, Centennial Mall became the grounds for a debate over reproductive rights. Members of the Foundation for Life, a regional advocacy group, gathered on campus to engage students in conversations regarding abortion. This prompted a counter-protest from student organizations, including the Women’s and Gender Studies honor society, Triota. 

The day showcased a sharp contrast in messaging, visual aids, and perspectives.

The Foundation for Life organizers stated that their presence was part of a continuous outreach program targeting local universities. 

Daniel Holliker, a leader of the foundation, explained that the group aims to utilize the university setting as a forum for intellectual discussion. He noted that their main goal was to have educational conversations with the students on campus. 

“We believe in human rights from fertilization to natural death,” Holliker said. “One of the biggest issues in that category these days is abortion. We see how big it is, both in Ohio and across the nation. We're just simply trying to engage in conversations.”

Ed Sitter, another leader with the organization, was more direct about the group’s intent to use graphic imagery.

“We want people to feel uncomfortable with the gravity of what’s happening,” Sitter said, comparing the legal status of abortion to historic human rights violations. “Our goal is to try to get people to wake up to the Holocaust that's taking place with abortion and realize the real atrocity that it is.” 

Word of the event traveled to the Women and Gender Studies department; Triota members then organized a counter-protest in response. Students walked through the mall with handmade signs, chanting and distributing papers outlining abortion access and reproductive resources. 

Counter-protesters and students walking on campus expressed frustration with the foundation’s methods, specifically pointing out the graphic nature of the displays provided and the alleged pushing of ideologies on students. 

Nev Stacy, a student walking on campus, expressed concern that the graphic nature of the foundation’s signs was inappropriate for a public campus, especially one that hosts frequent tours for high school students. 

“There are people that are 14 years old walking around here. They shouldn’t have to see that,” Stacy said. 

Hannah Goins, a counter-protester, criticized the disruption to the academic day. 

“It’s stupid that an outside group came to protest on a college campus and bother students who were just trying to get into their classes,” Goins said.

Goins also mentioned that several students joined the counter-protest after reportedly having negative interactions with the foundation members. 

The intersection of the two groups at Centennial Mall displayed a fundamental disagreement over bodily autonomy and the definition of human rights. While Foundation for Life members emphasized the full right to life, student advocates like Lilly Spaethe argued that personal opinions should not dictate medical choices. 

“I understand everyone has the right to their own opinions,” Spaethe said. “But at some point, I feel like if our opinions are touching other people's bodies and taking away their choices, that's not fair. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions.”

As the Foundation for Life finished up on campus, the atmosphere remained an example of the larger American divide. The foundation maintains that college campuses are the primary location for thought-provoking questions on human rights, while the student protesters maintain that their campus should be a space protected from graphic imagery and what they deem to be intrusive advocacy.