By: Maria Condron
The iconic heart symbol posters are a familiar sight for GW students as they walk through campus. Amid a sea of advertisements for events and organizations, these simple posters with brightly colored hearts boast slogans like “We love abortion providers and patients,” “We love emergency contraceptives like Plan B,” and “We love the Abortion Support Collective.” Created and distributed by GW RAGE, a student-run reproductive rights organization, these posters have become a near-indelible part of GW’s scenery. When they fade or tear, they are ultimately and efficiently replaced by the organization.
In recent weeks, new posters have appeared around campus. While they may be similar in appearance to RAGE’s posters, these posters carry an opposing message. Black and white hearts surround slogans like “You are worth more than Plan B vending machines,” or “Yes, you can get your degree and have a baby.” Unlike the RAGE posters, it is unclear who is behind these statements. Some posters display QR codes, but they lead to expired links. Regardless of who is responsible for the new additions, they provoked strong reactions from students.
An error message appears when attempting to scan the QR code on the posters (Photo by Maria Condron)
Preeti Kulkarni, a sophomore at GW and the co-founder of Global Compromise Collective (a nonprofit that aims to combat political polarization), said that although she is “all about promoting different perspectives” and believes the posters have a right to be displayed on campus, they make her feel unsafe as a pro-choice student.
“It does make me uncomfortable, I can’t lie,” Kulkarni said.
Kulkarni is not the only GW student who took umbrage at the new posters. Soon after the posters appeared, students began partially tearing them, scrawling messages like “suck d-–k if you want to,” and covering the posters with stickers that advertise abortion support services, including those offered by GW RAGE.
Stephanie Spector, co-president of RAGE, said the organization “strongly condemns” the messages exhibited in the posters, specifically pointing out their “messages of ‘unworthiness’” in conjunction with reproductive care. Spector also said the posters intentionally co-opted RAGE’s designs with the intention of misleading students, and that “a collective effort of community members who align with RAGE’s mission” were responsible for tearing and covering the posters.
A poster reading “You are worth more than hookups & one night stands” is covered with stickers advertising abortion services and a handwritten note reading “Suck d-–k if you want” (Photo by Maria Condron
While there is no data available on what percentage of GW students identify as pro-choice, the Pew Research Center found that 76% of adults under 30 believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Additionally, a Navigator poll found that 84% of American adults believe access to contraception should be legal.
However, not all students agree that these posters are inherently negative. Megan Clancy, the student president of GW Catholics, said she was encouraged to see other pro-life students sharing their views on campus.
“From what I can tell, the black and white posters are sharing a message of love,” Clancy said, “They are advocating for the innate dignity of the human person, and are arguing that abortion is not the only option for students.”
Clancy said she was disheartened by other students’ responses to the posters, albeit unsurprised.
“It speaks volumes that a poster reading ‘you are more than an object of pleasure’ gets covered with a sticker with an image of a condom that reads ‘just wear it,’” Clancy said.