Posted on Jun 24, 2023
How an anti-abortion campaign overtook a reproductive rights club on one Texas campus
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https://www.npr.org/2023/04/23/ [login to see] /the-state-of-student-activism-on-abortion-at-texas-a-m
At least once a day, Nimisha Srikanth pulls out industrial size boxes from under her dorm room bed and goes to work.
She pulls together condoms, pregnancy tests or Plan B – whatever a student requests – places them in an unmarked brown paper bag, and heads out onto the campus to meet up. No names are exchanged, no words need to be said, it's a simple handoff in a public place.
Srikanth is the president of a student group that provides covert access for students to emergency contraception around Texas A&M University's campus. Their drop-off service for students – who can either text the group or fill out an online form for kits – has served hundreds of students since its inception in 2020.
"It just looks like a lunch sack you would take to school. Or it's something small enough you can just put inside a bag or a backpack, and nobody will know until you go home, and then you can take it out," Srikanth explains.
At least once a day, Nimisha Srikanth pulls out industrial size boxes from under her dorm room bed and goes to work.
She pulls together condoms, pregnancy tests or Plan B – whatever a student requests – places them in an unmarked brown paper bag, and heads out onto the campus to meet up. No names are exchanged, no words need to be said, it's a simple handoff in a public place.
Srikanth is the president of a student group that provides covert access for students to emergency contraception around Texas A&M University's campus. Their drop-off service for students – who can either text the group or fill out an online form for kits – has served hundreds of students since its inception in 2020.
"It just looks like a lunch sack you would take to school. Or it's something small enough you can just put inside a bag or a backpack, and nobody will know until you go home, and then you can take it out," Srikanth explains.
How an anti-abortion campaign overtook a reproductive rights club on one Texas campus
Posted from npr.org
Abortion
Rights
Medical
Health
Posted 12 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Salem Smith, one of the last members of FREE Aggies, says that, nevertheless, the Supreme Court ruling has made it tough for their small abortion-rights group and for students who are in need of their service.
"In larger organizations that have always been bigger and had this momentum, it's kind of easier because you're one in a crowd," they say. "But sometimes, with these smaller organizations, it can be scary. It can be scary, especially with some of the incidents we've had in the past."
This includes pushback while handing out flyers, friction with the administration and even one of the former student leaders receiving harassing phone calls. So as the remaining few members of their group graduate, they'll have to wait and see if a new generation of Aggies takes up their fight.
"The spirit will live on, even if it's not under the same name, even if it's not run by the same people."
For now, though, their efforts will remain in the background. This past week, Pro-Life Aggies held a big rally on campus, called "Memorial of the Innocents" that featured over 1,000 crosses, each representing two abortions in the U.S. everyday."
..."Salem Smith, one of the last members of FREE Aggies, says that, nevertheless, the Supreme Court ruling has made it tough for their small abortion-rights group and for students who are in need of their service.
"In larger organizations that have always been bigger and had this momentum, it's kind of easier because you're one in a crowd," they say. "But sometimes, with these smaller organizations, it can be scary. It can be scary, especially with some of the incidents we've had in the past."
This includes pushback while handing out flyers, friction with the administration and even one of the former student leaders receiving harassing phone calls. So as the remaining few members of their group graduate, they'll have to wait and see if a new generation of Aggies takes up their fight.
"The spirit will live on, even if it's not under the same name, even if it's not run by the same people."
For now, though, their efforts will remain in the background. This past week, Pro-Life Aggies held a big rally on campus, called "Memorial of the Innocents" that featured over 1,000 crosses, each representing two abortions in the U.S. everyday."
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