On-Campus Activism
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health held a seminar called "Abortion- A Public Health Concern" Thursday, April 6, 1972. The seminar focused on the importance of abortion activities on all levels in relation to public health.
The seminar's guest panel included many different speakers, including Ms. Jimmye Kimmey, executive director of the Association for the Study of Abortion, and Ms. Pat Miller, member of the Pennsylvania Abortion Law Commission. Kimmey reviewed New York's abortion program and Miller discussed abortion activities within Pennsylvania. Lastly, Dr. Marilynn Goldsmith, a pregnancy counselor at Pittsburgh's Free Clinic in East Liberity spoke on their medical-care association.
All presentations were open to discussion with audience members, which was monitored by an associate research professor in the Department of Public Health at Pitt. This seminar was a part of an ongoing series on public health issues which were all open to University faculty and students, along with the general public.
Students expressed their thoughts on abortion rights through on-campus demonstrations. One group showed their opinions in front of the William Pitt Union, holding signs encouraging the right to choose. Opposingly, another on-campus demonstration occurred as pro-life students marched down Fifth Avenue.
A predominantly student audience gathered in Lawrence Hall in 1970 to hear several guest speakers debate: Should abortion be legalized? The debate lasted two and a half hours and signified the beginning of Abortion and Birth Control information week. Dr. Cyril Wecht criticized the more liberal regulations in places like New York, whereas Dr. Goldsmith reinterated the importance of having a choice.
Several other speakers, ranging from physicians to city attorneys, spoke at the panel as well debating each side of the question: Should abortion be legalized?
Pitt's Campus Women's Organization celebrated the anniversary of the landmark case Roe vs Wade with a rally at the William Pitt Union. Mary Litman, president of the Squirrel Hill Chapter of the National Organization of Women, spoke on the importance of having a choice and access to safe and legal abortions.
Many other speakers expressed their joy in the William Pitt Union ballroom that day as well, including the Civil Liberties Union, Med Students for Choice, the Campus Women Organizations, and many other groups in support of Roe vs Wade.
Additionally, the celebratory rally was also planned to help end the violence found at many abortion clinics in recent months. Susie Fisher, an escort for employees of abortion clinics at the Women's Health Services and the Allegheny Health and Reproductive Center, provided a first hand account of the dangers women experience.
Dr. Robert Kisner, a Pittsburgh doctor, detailed the harrassment he faces at the rally for providing abortion services. Many Pitt students spoke at the rally and expressed their support for the doctors, clinicians, and escorts that assist women and continue to provide services despite the violence.