About 10 members of the Lehigh chapter of Students for Life gathered outside the main entrance of Fairchild-Martindale Library at 7 p.m. Tuesday to write messages for National Pro-Life Chalk Day, drawing mixed reactions from the student body.<\/p>\n
According to Students for Life of America<\/a>, the goal of the nationwide event is to \u201cdefund and debar Planned Parenthood.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the organization wrote messages including, \u201cJesus loves you,\u201d \u201cWomen deserve better than abortion,\u201d \u201cLehigh is pro-life\u201d and \u201cDefund Planned Parenthood.\u201d<\/p>\n One member wrote the opening lyrics to Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u201cIsn\u2019t She Lovely\u201d in front of the library doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rhema Hooper, \u201826, the co-president of Students for Life, is studying community and global health with a minor in molecular biology. She said she\u2019d been pro-choice for most of her life until she came across an Instagram post from a feminist magazine showing what appeared to be a pregnancy at 10 weeks, which caused her to reconsider her beliefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hooper said she later realized the image posted was of uterine tissue, not a fetus, and shared her observation on Instagram, prompting backlash from followers.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said as she was learning more about fetal development, Hooper saw a recommended ultrasound video on Youtube and clicked on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as I watched that, it was like a rush hit my heart,\u201d Hooper said.<\/p>\n She said that moment solidified her pro-life beliefs.<\/p>\n Hooper joined Students for Life in 2023. As co-president, she said her goal is to foster dialogue between people who identify as pro-life and those who are pro-choice.<\/p>\n \u201cI was pro-choice and I know what that\u2019s like,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be able to have dialogue with people so that we can actually talk about it because a lot of people don\u2019t want to talk about (abortion).\u201d<\/p>\n Hooper said the chalking event was approved by Lehigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an email sent to The Office of the General Counsel obtained by The Brown and White, Katherine Lavinder, the vice president of student affairs, confirmed the event complied with Lehigh\u2019s posting policies<\/a>, which states that only university departments, organizations and community members may place postings on designated, approved spaces.<\/p>\n