Students walking down 13th Avenue Tuesday afternoon were greeted with a disruptive graphic that quickly escalated into a controversy regarding abortion.
A man standing in front of Columbia 150 held signs advocating to abolish abortion. His signs read:
“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” – a quote by Martin Luther King.
He also held a large sign with a graphic image of an undeveloped fetus.
The man had no affiliation with the University of Oregon.
“We bring the graphic images out to show because people do this and nobody looks these babies in the eye,” Lori Mayberry, an advocate for abolishing abortion, told the Emerald.
Many students on opposing sides gathered in conversation that grew into a protest.
Allison Rutledge, a history major at the UO, was among the crowd.
“I really have a problem with the gruesome imagery of an aborted fetus on a giant sign,” she said. “It’s pointless, he’s actually causing people to counter protest.”
The ASUO Women’s Center handed out signs to students that said “Trust Women.”
The police arrived on the scene but gave no comment. They told the Emerald that they were there to monitor.