Prolife, Proactive

This interview was originally published by The Orange and Blue Observer.

Robert Black is a junior here at the U of I, and the new president of the registered student organization Illini Collegians for Life. We here at the OBO recently had the pleasure of talking with Robert about being involved on campus–especially on the prolife issue.

What is the absolutely best thing about the U of I?

The amount of opportunities we have. Faculty and staff allow us to do so much with our four years here.

What are you studying?

I’m studying communications/pre-med.

So you’re planning on going on to med school?

Yes–I’m studying for the MCAT right now; I’ll be taking that in April.

What do you want to do in medicine?

I’m thinking about pediatrics or neonatology, which is especially appropriate for the club I’m now president of (Illini Collegians for Life).

Lately there’s been a lot of buzz on campus about abortion and Planned Parenthood. I know some people first hear about abortion through news coverage. How did you first hear about it?

When I was 7 or so, maybe even 6, I went with my mother and grandmother to a hospital that performed abortions. Of course, it was years later that I fully understood all of what that meant.

What are your views on abortion?

It should be illegal. It’s 100% equivalent to putting a gun to the head of my brother or sister and pulling the trigger. And the thing is, from a federal standpoint, you don’t need to cling to religion or faith to say abortion is wrong. Look at the facts. Despite the [economic or emotional] position a woman is in, it [her unborn child] is a human life. Any scientist who’s worth his lab coat can tell you that from the moment of conception that’s a human life.

What does it mean to be “prolife”?

Being adamantly opposed to abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, and any other infringement on the human being’s right to live. I think a lot of people who call themselves prolife don’t realize that to be prolife means to be proactive in defending these rights.

It doesn’t have to mean picketing, going on March for Life in Washington, D.C., but when it comes up in conversation, [being prolife means] defending it; it doesn’t mean backing down.

It really does cover all aspects: physician-assisted suicide, abortion, early abortion (contraception).

Does abortion really matter on a college campus?

Yeah, of course! I think it really matters everywhere, because it happens everywhere. The sad reality is that we have a Planned Parenthood on our campus. I don’t care what percentage of their business is abortion: they’re targeting young women who are infinitely stressed out. They have school to worry about, work to worry about; they have their whole lives ahead of them.

Here is where we need it most. Other places it matters, and yet here’s where we’re constantly bombarded with what we do with our bodies. We’re told if we want to do it, do it. It’s easy to pull from all this that abortion is OK.

It matters here very, very much, and I think it’s up to myself and others to be active on this. The future of America and the future of academia is here. Our future politicians, teachers, and engineers are all here. It’s a cultural thing, and this is where it all starts, on a college campus.

Does abortion ever come up in your classes or casual conversations? If so, how do other students or your professors view it?

To a certain extent. It came up in a class once. It was Philosophy 214–Introduction to Bioethics; it was on the syllabus. The professor seemed to have a view toward the prolife side, but was very hesitant to present his own view, possibly because of the department he was in, or the students.

It’s very polarizing to a certain extent. We have this false sense of freedom instilled in us: we think her body is hers, which is true, but it’s a unique child inside of her.

As far as casual conversations, I am an RA in Newman, the Catholic dorm on campus. It comes up pretty often. We want to know how to reason through the questions that come up. Practicing being a devil’s advocate really helps solidify my own position. A large majority of them [the other Newman students] are prolife, so we can help each other in this.

How did you decide to get involved in the prolife movement here at the U of I?

Through Newman, I have had many opportunities. John Paul Deddens, the director Students for Life of Illinois–freshman year I got to know him, and my roommate and good friend Mike Hamoy, who coordinated March for Life for the past three years. He was definitely an inspiration for getting involved in ICFL. This year they were looking for people to be officers. I decided to step up to the plate, because it’s something I’ve always held dear.

To a certain extent, being prolife means being proactive. This, to me, is about giving back.

You mentioned Illini Collegians for Life. What is it, and what kinds of things does it do?

We are the prolife group here on campus that coordinates with Students for Life of Illinois. The cornerstone of our work is putting together the March for Life every year. We also help out with Students for Life of Illinois activism days each month, and we do roundtable discussions every week. We’re prolife and we want to learn more and be able to defend it publicly.

We want to do a little bit more of pregnancy resources. Also, we have a couple events coming up: general meetings, speakers, film showings (for example, Blood Money, a documentary on the business aspect of abortion).

How can interested students learn more about this?

Definitely contact myself (illiniforlife@gmail.com), and visit us on our website (www.illiniforlife.com) or on Facebook. We also have a general meeting coming up–look for fliers around campus.

As an upperclassman and now club president, do you have any parting words of advice for freshmen and others looking to become more involved on campus?

Go to Quad Day, go around, sign up for as many clubs as you think you’d ever go to. When you get all the emails, do something you could see yourself being in for four years, something you could be an officer in during your junior or senior year. Go to meetings.

Your first year, ask the officers, “How do I get more involved?” You really want to take ownership of your passion in college. Get involved, and by your senior year, you’ll be happy.