Mock Trial and Planned Parenthood Generation Action at San Jose State held a protest against the university’s Turning Point USA chapter pro-life event, “Protecting the Unborn,” outside the Student Union Theatre on Tuesday.
Turning Point USA is a nonprofit conservative student organization that educates students to promote freedom, according to its website.
Turning Point USA advocates for anti-abortion laws and Second Amendment rights.
Mock Trial is a recognized student organization registered under the American Mock Trial Associate, where students learn, practice and exercise public speaking, critical thinking, legal reasoning, teamwork and other skills, according to its website.
Jessica Vu, sociology senior, is the data manager of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at SJSU and supported the protest.
Planned Parenthood Generation Action at SJSU is an organization on campus where students hope to educate and advocate for the reproductive and sexual justice movement, according to its Instagram.
“I’m here today to make sure we have friendly spaces on campus,” Vu said.
She said Turning Point USA at SJSU makes rude remarks to students on campus about their bodies.
Environmental science junior Kaylan Wells said she was in an altercation with Turning Point on campus without knowing who the organization is.
Wells said she saw members of the organization harassing a girl on Seventh Street.
“I went with another club and kind of just made sure that she was safe and it turned into a verbal argument that’s a bit controversial,” she said.
As a victim of sexual assault, Wells said she knew in her heart that she had to help the girl.
“It hurts knowing that people think that women are choosing to have that happen to them,” Wells said.
Sociology junior Ranjana Iyer is the co-president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at SJSU and helped organize the rally.
“It’s one thing to have your own views, but when they agitate students to try and get a reaction - one person has told you to close your legs,” Iyer said. “We don’t want that on campus.”
Allie Beth Stuckey is an American conservative commentator who spoke at the Turning Point USA event to give her opinions about abortion.
“Not all politics or policy is a matter of life and death, but this is literally a matter of life and death,” Stuckey said during the event.
She said, it doesn’t matter what side a person is on, pro-life or pro-abortion, to recognize there is a human being inside the womb.
“Is it because it’s small? Is it because of its age? Because it’s young? Is it because of its size? Because it’s young? Is it because of its dependence because it needs its mother to survive? Is it because you might have a hard life one day because parents are poor because it’s not wanted?” Stuckey questioned the audience during her speech.
Chima Nwokolo, political science sophomore and the treasurer of Democrats at SJSU, also attended the event, participating in the question and answer forum.
Democrats at SJSU is a nonprofit organization that promotes democratic values on campus with the participation of students in party and political affairs, according to its Instagram.
“Even though I’m a Democrat, I wanted to come to the Turning Point USA conservative event to ask hard hitting questions to get civil dialogue,” Nwokolo said after the event. “Everyone has free speech, whether you like it or not and it’s everyone's right to express what they think and how they think of it.”
Turning Point USA declined to comment after the event about the protest.
