Students organize petition against bill
Juliana D'Amico
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: News
For more than two weeks, freshman Ashlee LeCompte sat at a table in the Grewcock Student Union with a homemade poster and a notebook and pen, collecting signatures for a petition against the Freedom of Choice Act.
"I was just sitting there shouting," she said.
Since she considers herself pro-choice, LeCompte said she surprised some students by fighting a bill that would prevent federal, state and local governments from denying women rights to receive abortions during the first five months of pregnancy.
In fact, she found herself a temporary ally of the Hillsdale College Students for Life.
"We think it's great she set up a petition; we didn't even think of that," said Students for Life secretary Anna Williams, a sophomore. "One of the most important pro-life causes in recent years is getting it killed."
After LeCompte met her goal of collecting 250 petition signatures, she faxed them to her congressman and senator with a letter.
She said she opposes FOCA because it would actually take freedoms away from hospitals.
"Every hospital is going to have to perform these abortions," she said. "I don't see the freedom of choice in that."
Still, her opposition to the bill is no indication that she's changed her pro-choice stance.
"I'm pro-choice because I understand even when all the precautions are made you can get pregnant," she said. "I completely understand that's it's not right to bring a child into this world if you're not ready to take care of it, but at the same time if you are going to be mature enough to have sex, then you should be responsible enough to take a course of action quickly."
The bill was introduced in both houses of Congress in April 2007. Both houses referred it to judiciary committees, but neither has taken any action on the bill since then.
President Barack Obama co-sponsored it during his tenure in the Senate, and he stated in July 2007 that if he became President, he would sign the bill into law immediately.
"I was just sitting there shouting," she said.
Since she considers herself pro-choice, LeCompte said she surprised some students by fighting a bill that would prevent federal, state and local governments from denying women rights to receive abortions during the first five months of pregnancy.
In fact, she found herself a temporary ally of the Hillsdale College Students for Life.
"We think it's great she set up a petition; we didn't even think of that," said Students for Life secretary Anna Williams, a sophomore. "One of the most important pro-life causes in recent years is getting it killed."
After LeCompte met her goal of collecting 250 petition signatures, she faxed them to her congressman and senator with a letter.
She said she opposes FOCA because it would actually take freedoms away from hospitals.
"Every hospital is going to have to perform these abortions," she said. "I don't see the freedom of choice in that."
Still, her opposition to the bill is no indication that she's changed her pro-choice stance.
"I'm pro-choice because I understand even when all the precautions are made you can get pregnant," she said. "I completely understand that's it's not right to bring a child into this world if you're not ready to take care of it, but at the same time if you are going to be mature enough to have sex, then you should be responsible enough to take a course of action quickly."
The bill was introduced in both houses of Congress in April 2007. Both houses referred it to judiciary committees, but neither has taken any action on the bill since then.
President Barack Obama co-sponsored it during his tenure in the Senate, and he stated in July 2007 that if he became President, he would sign the bill into law immediately.
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