Over the last couple of days, the ISU campus has become a mecca for free speech.

Pro-life and pro-choice activists have taken full advantage of the pleasant weather to come out and put their beliefs and opinions on display for all to see.

There have been complaints that the two groups’ methods were wrong.

People called the pro-life protesters’ signs, which featured graphic photos of aborted fetuses, disgusting and counterproductive.

The pro-choice protesters decided to “cleanse” the campus with mops and buckets yesterday, which some thought was inappropriate.

Whether or not you agree with either side of the debate, you can’t call into question the legality of their protests.

In America, we have a little something called freedom of speech.

And thank God for that.

Iowa State is a market place for ideas, and the actions this week by several protest groups only reinforces the importance of our freedom of speech, a freedom we sometimes take for granted.

Just as this opinion page relies on the convergence of differing opinions, the protests of the last few days brought our freedom of speech to light.

There is no reason you can’t disagree with either group or any group that makes its beliefs known to the public.

That is the point of protest – to take a personal belief and share it with others, whether they want to hear it or not.

So, the next time you decide to disagree with someone protesting on campus, do what you have the right to do: Grab a poster board and some markers, and let people know how you feel.

editorialboard: Carrie Tett, Jocelyn Marcus, Katie Goldsmith, Andrea Hauser and Tim Paluch