Thanks to the great recruiting efforts of the College Republicans, more than 30 people showed up last night, holding a variety of different points of view. Going into it, some of us held reservations about where the discussion would lead; given the strong religious and moral convictions that inform many of the varied views on the issue, it was reasonable to expect intense emotions from both ends to be involved. We were thrilled at how respectfully students on both sides managed to express their convictions, and how intelligently they posed challenging and thoughtful questions to their peers.
Of course, it would be a stretch to say that any minds were changed in the course of the discussion. It was not our expectation, or our intention, that either side would be convinced or converted to a belief not their own. But amidst much disagreement, we were able to see through to the things about which we do agree, and the conversations as people left were focused on how we thought we might best minimize the number and social cost of abortions around the country. Naturally, the disagreements did not disappear. But the groundwork was laid for the Amherst College Republicans and Democrats to work together on issues like abortion in the future, something that-should it happen-would owe a lot to last night's conversation. It is in this spirit that we hope that the College Republicans and Democrats will have many more similar discussions over the next few years, as we continue to seek to find common ground and to foster bipartisan social activism in our town, state, and country. We would like to thank everyone who attended the discussion, and we look forward to even stronger turnout for future discussions as well.
Sarah Gelles '10, Aaron Nathan '10,
Josh Nathan '10 and Eric Schultz '10
On behalf of the Amherst College Democrats