A Christian anti-abortion organization and a pro-choice group tabled and debated Clemson students across from Brackett Hall on Oct. 9.
Jason Storms, Operation Save America’s national director, along with Coleman Boyd, a member of the organization and another colleague, were participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, capital riots. Boyd has since been pardoned by President Donald Trump.
OSA held signs reading, “Make women meek, modest, and submissive again — 1 Peter 3:3-4” and “The violence of abortion must end.”
“We’re about advancing the kingdom of God and in the knowledge of Christ, the Christian gospel message, that’s at the heart of what we are and what we do. And because we’re Christians, we care about injustices in our world,” Storms told The Tiger in an interview.
Storms and his colleagues tabled at Clemson to talk about what they believe is the biggest injustice in the world — abortion. Their stance is that there is a God-given fundamental right to life.
Boyd spoke about why the organization attends college campuses such as Clemson, specifying that college students are the “future of our nation,” and that individuals “at that age are at a point of divide in life.”
Across from OSA stood a group of women handing out free Plan B One-Step contraceptives and condoms to students walking by.
Stephanie Rosenwinge, a Gulf War veteran from Eastern Tennessee, tabled and handed out birth control. Rosenwinge told The Tiger that she and her peers go wherever OSA goes in an effort to show the students on campus “that there are two sides to this story.”
“It’s all about information right? When we think about abortion access, sometimes you just need to know where the nearest clinic is. So it’s about education,” Rosenwinge said.
Rosenwinge continued to speak about abortion laws across the Southern United States, mentioning the incrementalist approach that pro-life organizations use to help pass anti-abortion legislation.
She discussed the “Texas bounty bill,” also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, and explained that OSA supports it. This act allows private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion and collects a penalty of at least $10,000.
Rosenwinge also mentioned the efforts of OSA to pass SB 323 in the South Carolina legislature, and how she and the other pro-choice activists are there to educate students on what that bill means for them. They provided QR codes with information about the bill and local women’s health clinics.
“So, you know, in South Carolina, you used to have abortion that went past six weeks,” Rosenwinge told The Tiger. “Now you’ve got the six week ban, and that’s incrementally chipping away at folks’ rights.”
South Carolina currently has a six-week ban on abortion except for cases of incest or rape, according to the current law in Section 44.
Rosenwinge recalled an anecdote from her time at a small college in Brevard, North Carolina, where the President told them at orientation, “I’m not here to indoctrinate you.” She has carried this sentiment with her throughout her life, and uses it to fuel her current activist efforts.
Rosenwinge collaborates with numerous non-profit organizations to pool resources and protest wherever possible — one of which includes State Line Abortion Access.
Additionally, she spoke about how her experience as a war veteran gave her an appreciation for civil discourse and the value of protest. “I love peaceful protests. I believe that’s what I served my country for.”
Further, Storms discussed the current state of American politics and the polarization characterizing it.
“Do you want right wing propaganda? Do you want left wing propaganda?” he inquired.
Storms further discussed his personal support of Trump in regard to his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack.
“I supported Donald Trump precisely because I believed, only to the degree that I believe, he was actually an anti-establishment outside-the-system candidate,” he told The Tiger.
Storms also mentioned several criticisms of Trump, saying that he was “a deeply flawed dude.”
“And I would encourage every Christian to move themselves into the undecided category because Trump is saying and doing a lot of really foolish things, and he needs to be held accountable for that,” he said.
Storms and Boyd slightly differed when asked about their beliefs on the concept of separation of church and state.
“I do agree with a certain kind of separation of church and state, meaning I don’t think the church should rule over the state. Christians have fought very hard to create a separation of church and state, but not a separation of God and state,” Storms said.
On the other hand, Boyd said that he doesn’t believe in a separation of church and state and that the church consists of people who are born again.
