Ferris State University will mark the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that
legalized abortion by hosting nationally-renowned advocates for both sides of the
debate.
Pro-life supporter Rebecca Kiessling will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, and pro-choice advocate Lynn Paltrow will be on campus at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27. The presentations are being hosted by Ferris’ Political Engagement Project to spark discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jan. 22, 1973 decision.
“This is the 40th anniversary of one of the most important and controversial political issues of our time,” said Richard Griffin, a social sciences professor and member of the PEP Steering Committee. “Students, faculty and staff, and community members have the opportunity to hear both sides of the issue and make up their own minds.”
Kiessling, the daughter of a rape victim, is a family law attorney from Michigan whose
presentation, “Conceived in Rape, Targeted for Abortion” will focus on her life story.
She is a spokesperson for national anti-abortion organization Personhood USA.
Paltrow, founder and executive director for National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a non-profit organization that advocates for women’s reproductive rights, will discuss “Reproductive Justice in the Age of Mass Incarceration.” She has served as a senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, as director of special litigation at the Center for Reproductive Law and Police and as vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of New York City.
Both presentations, which are free and open to the public, will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Both will be held in College of Business Room 111.