Georgetown Right to Life began its annual Life Week yesterday to raise awareness for issues concerning human life from conception to natural death through service projects and speaker events.
The planned events include a talk on the future of anti-abortion legislation and court cases and a diaper drive and bake sale to benefit the Northwest Center, a pregnancy resource center that serves the Washington, D.C. area founded by Georgetown alumni.
Mary Forr, director of the Department of Life Issues of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, is slated to speak Wednesday night to offer anti-abortion perspective on disability.
Right to Life Vice President MyLan Metzger (COL ’19) said she is particularly excited for this event, as it highlights a number of issues that Right to Life is concerned about besides abortion issues.
“I am excited for this event because it ties together a lot of complicated issues and discusses what we can do to serve people in need. This event is also important to me because that the Archdiocese highlights the dignity of all human life in a special way,” Metzger wrote in an email to The Hoya. “It frames abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia as a human dignity issue, not just a political issue.”
While many of the events and speakers change from year to year, certain aspects of the week have remained the same since it was started. According to Right to Life President Amelia Irvine (COL ’19), one annual component of Life Week is Flag Day. Planned for Thursday, the event involves placing 3,562 small flags on Copley Lawn to represent the average number of abortions performed each day in the United States.
Today at 7 p.m., Right to Life will be screening the documentary “Hush,” a film that explores the relationship between abortion procedures and breast cancer.
H*yas for Choice released a statement condemning the planned screening of “Hush,” specifically due to its promotion of the claim that abortion increases the risk for breast cancer.
“Although all of Georgetown Right to Life’s Life Week events are appalling, the screening of the documentary, HUSH, is especially concerning in its direct opposition to proven medical science and facts,” the statement reads. “By hosting a screening of HUSH, Right to Life endorses non-scientific, factually inaccurate health information. Lying and promoting false information is not a Jesuit or Catholic value and Right to Life should be ashamed.”
Life Week comes on the heels of Choice Week, held by H*yas for Choice last week. Irvine said this timing was not planned. However, Metzger said the timing provides an opportunity for continued dialogue on campus.
Metzger, who attended some of the Choice Week events last week, said she hopes that a diverse group of Georgetown’s community will participate in the Life Week events and continue to foster a dialogue on campus.
“I felt like it was necessary to learn from the other side, and because I wanted to represent my opinions and beliefs in these discussions,” Metzger wrote. “I hope that some members of H*yas for Choice will attend our events, either to learn or even to push back against some of our ideas. I believe that this type of cooperation is important for either side to be successful and to promote civil discourse on campus.”