A group of nearly 50 Ames and Boone residents and Iowa State students joined in a silent protest against what several members called “the culture of death in America.”

Members of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Thomas Aquinas Pro-Life Group, as well as other pro-life supporters, spread across central campus between Beardshear and Curtiss Halls to “educate people on the alternatives to abortion.”

The silent demonstrators held signs with phrases like, “To love life is to let live,” and “Love them both” above a picture of a smiling mother and infant. One pregnant demonstrator held a sign reading “Endangered Species” above her belly.

“What we’ve had here today is a group of people who got together to express their views,”said Steve Erickson, off-campus Government of the Student Body senator. “You didn’t see any Bible thumpers, not a group here for confrontation, we just had the facts.”

The emphasis of the life chain was on peaceful protest.

“We’re here because the life chain is supposed to be a silent, peaceful gathering for people who care about this issue,” said Stacy Bastian, a junior in horticulture.

The “silent” aspect of the chain meant the demonstrators were there to demonstrate, not to protest.

“This is not an argument,” Bastian said. “We’re here to show what we feel, not to argue.”

Occasionally a member of the chain was confronted by an opponent, but most demonstrators said they did not fear being confronted.

“What we’re doing is morally right,” Brad Carlson, student coordinator of St. Thomas Aquinas Pro-Life Group, said. “People are entitled to their own opinions. What we’re trying to do is raise awareness that there are alternatives to abortion.”

John Donaghy, St. Thomas Aquinas campus minister, said this is the fourth annual demonstration. Carlson said he was pleased with the number of people who were stopping by to join the demonstration.

“If we reach one person, we’ve made a difference,” Carlson said.

Carlson said abortion is personal for him, since he was adopted. “Raising awareness” was the key idea on the demonstrators’ minds.

“We want everybody to know the alternatives, that life is a wonderful thing,” said Kathleen Breen, a freshman member of the pro-life group.

Many demonstrators were angry at politicians about the abortion issue.

“I wish [Senator] Tom Harkin would come to his senses and override [President Bill] Clinton’s veto on the ban of partial-birth abortions,” said Nancy Reilly, a pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Church in north Gilbert. “He certainly doesn’t represent any Iowans I know.”

Another protester took issue with recent criticism of the late Mother Teresa’s stance on abortion.

“I don’t believe in abortion period, because I am a Catholic, but I challenge that position [that abortion should be used as a method of population control,]” said Cindy Tschampl, a senior in Spanish and theater.

“Just because [America] is a rich nation, that doesn’t mean we have all the answers. We cannot put first world values on a third-world nation,” Tschampl said.

Several demonstrators emphasized they are concerned with “all issues of life,” meaning they are equally concerned about the practice of euthanasia and the death penalty.