Attendants listened to students discuss the lives they believe are lost during abortion and fought the wind to keep their vigil candles lit. "This is a more somber, reflective approach to the issue," said Ryan Raskopf '05, co-chairman of the College Republicans.
Eric Osborne '04 explained that for him, being pro-life is not just being anti-abortion. "The whole idea of the pro-life stance is a complicated view that is pro-human," he said. "We want to celebrate children in this country. We didn't do this as a political thing."
Vigil coordinators intended the event to be calm and respectful. "The Vigil simply provided a space and opportunity for like-minded students to come together and express their beliefs in a quiet and respectful way," said Allyx Hadley '06, one of the coordinators of the Vigil. "I hope that students took away the idea that there are like-minded people on campus and that we can unite on this issue regardless of our very different affiliations and backgrounds."
Prior to the event, many students disputed whether the Vigil actually was "apolitical," as advertised, or whether the sponsors should have used the term non-partisan.
"All of the organizers ... truly believed that the event was meant to transcend party lines. On a campus where political division runs deep,we believed that the best way to make our non-partison point was to say that the Vigil was apolitical," said Hadley after the Vigil. "In hindsight, non-partisan would have been a more effective emphasis."
Paul Whiting '04 spoke briefly and read Psalm 139, verses 13 to 16. The passage describes the creation of humanity. "As a Christian, I believe [Psalm 139:13-16] is particularly relevant to the issue of abortion, and I wanted to share that."
Whiting also said that following the Vigil, a number of ACF members criticized the ACF executive board's decision to co-sponsor the event. According to Whiting, ACF members complained that by co-sponsoring the event with the College Republicans, the ACF executive board publicly implied that ACF also had a partisan affiliation. "ACF ... actually realized that our decision to co-sponsor ... was not the best decision, because even if the purpose and design of the event was apolitical, it appeared to be politically affiliated."
The event also drew protesters who walked around the periphery of the group of students at the Vigil.
"I found the protesters particularly obnoxious," said Ethan Davis '05, co-chairman of the College Republicans. "Signs that read 'Get your rosaries off my ovaries' at a respectful, candlelight vigil are completely out of place, but sadly typical of Amherst."
Hadley does not believe the fact that the Vigil was scheduled very close to last weekend's March for Women's Lives (see Students participate in D.C. March, page 1) had anything to do with the pro-choice March. "The Republicans had been hoping to plan a pro-life event for some time, regardless of the pro-choice activism on campus," she said. "We had hoped to avoid conflicts so that the solemnity of the Vigil would not be overshadowed by misconceptions that the vigil was planned to be inflammatory and reactionary."