An NU Students for Life flyer. Photo by the author.

Clothes hangers along Sheridan Road and photos of fetuses in Annenberg ushered in College Feminists’ first annual Choice Week on Tuesday, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

“Last year nothing was done on behalf of College Feminists and this is something we feel important about, especially with the ‘08 elections,” said College Feminists member Whitney Jordan, a Weinberg sophomore. “Feminists from all over are doing huge things for this anniversary so we just thought we’d join in and do something huge like this.”

Members of the group placed wire hangers on bushes outside Norris and along Sheridan Road, each one with a piece of paper attached featuring a statistic about abortion. Wire hangers have historically been a symbol of the abortion-rights movement, due to their use in illegal back-alley abortions.

“I’m actually happy that our hangers are still up,” Jordan said. “I haven’t heard anybody saying something disgustingly.”

Not every student is as excited about Choice Week, or the hangers, as its presenters are.

“I was really struck when I heard that there were hangers out there,” said Weinberg senior Ivana Brajkovic, vice-president of Northwestern Students for Life (NSFL), an anti-abortion group. “I’m really surprised that College Feminists did that. They say that they appreciate that we don’t show graphic images of dead babies yet they come out with this symbol of a hanger just seems very contradictory to their choice.”

NSFL has responded to Choice Week by posting quarter-sheets in classrooms with images of an ultrasound of a fetus, captioned with the statistic that 3,300 abortions take place per day in the United States.

“We want to juxtapose that beautiful image with the fact that there are still 3,300 abortions each day in the United States; a statistic that is just simply unacceptable,” said Mike Breidenbach, a Weinberg senior and president of NSFL.

The relationship between College Feminists and NSFL is, in Facebook terms, complicated.

“It’s been very heated between us,” Jordan said. “I think we were all really preparing for this week, like ‘girls, get ready, because who knows what’s going to happen.’ And today I was expecting baby fetuses at the Rock or something insane like that, but Students For Life has been very timid or reserved. We’re not trying to fight them but they do sometimes come on very strong with their images and their words they have to say about us.”

Students can rest assured that their walks to class will not include graphic images of aborted fetuses. NSFL’s plans for Choice Week include an article published in The Daily, the flyers as well as discussion at their next general meeting.

“We’re not trying to be a confrontational group,” Brajkovic said. “We’re trying to respect and mourn the lives that have been lost over the years on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We’re not trying to combat anything [that College Feminists does]. In that way we’re respecting their views but we’re also stating that this is still what we maintain.”

Members of both groups seem willing to play nicely with one another.

“This is something we all feel really passionately about, and I guess NSFL feels passionately about it too, and just hopefully we just respect each other,” Jordan said.

Northwestern students, however, seem unswayed from their previous political views by this week’s activities.

“There’s always the chance of Roe v. Wade coming back, so any chance people can get to spread the word is good, but I don’t know if movie screenings are going to convince people who are pro-life to switch over,” Communication sophomore Joel Sinensky said.

Regardless of personal stance, the debate rages politely on.

“I want anyone to be able to express their opinion,” Weinberg junior Marissa Robillard said. “There’s a pro-life week, good, pro-choice week, good, I think it’s important that we talk about these issues on both sides.”