Students have made their voices heard by staying silent.
About 25 members of UF’s Pro-Life Alliance, their mouths covered with red duct tape with the word “life” written in black, took a daylong vow of silence Tuesday to remember the lives lost through abortion.
“We give up our voices for the day to symbolize the 4,000 babies that will be aborted today, who never even got a chance to be heard,” said Brianne Umhoefer, vice president of the UF Pro-Life Alliance.
The protest is part of the seventh annual Day of Silent Solidarity, a national event organized by Stand True Ministries in Ohio that asks pro-life supporters to take a vow of silence for the day.
The members who chose to remain silent did so for the entire day, sporting the red duct tape to class. They allowed themselves to speak only when “vitally necessary,” Umhoefer said.
“It’s kind of ironic when you really think about it,” said Mary Catherine Damon, UF Pro-Life Alliance secretary. “We’re completely silent, but we get more attention doing this than we would if we were yelling and screaming.”
Pro-Life Alliance President Sharon Parker said the event draws mixed reactions. She said last year some students joined in even though they were not affiliated with the group. But the group also gets negative reactions.
“Each year we get a few really aggressive people that just want to argue,” she said. “They just get really angry.”
Parker said most people who disagree with the group are pretty respectful, though.
Senior linguistics major Cary Marcous said she’s been offended by other pro-life protests, but she finds the Day of Silent Solidarity a nice alternative to more abrasive demonstrations.
“If they can get their point across in a way that is this peaceful, then more power to them,” she said.
