I’d never heard of the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity until recently. Held this year on October 20th, it’s a day in which high school and college students vow to remain silent (and hand out fliers) in order to “educate others about the plight of the innocent children we are losing every day” (a direct quote from the website, natch). According to its Facebook group, the PLDSS (as I’m deciding to call it) is now in its 6th year of existence.

After reading about the event, my first thought was: It’s pretty low for anti-choice groups to use kids in school as tools to further their agenda.

But that’s a bit hypocritical, as I’m a big supporter of the National Day of Silence, a day in which high school and college students vow to remain silent (and hand out fliers) in order to “illustrate the silencing effect of this bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.”

(The fact that the PLDSS is a direct rip-off of the Day of Silence, which just celebrated its 13th year, does not escape me. In my experiences, the crossover between those who are anti-choice and pro-LGBT rights is practically nil. Interesting, then, that this group is stealing ideas from “the enemy,” no?)

Perhaps I’m trying to justify my feelings, but several differences occurred to me. And these differences are, in many ways, indicative of the ways that those opposed to reproductive and LGBT rights operate. Without further ado:

1) Many (if not most) of the students who participate in the Day of Silence identify as LGBT or know someone who identifies as LGBT. This is an assumption, but I’d wager that very few of the 15-year-olds who participate in the PLDSS have considered the issue of abortion on such a personal level. It’s not about knowing the issue inside and out… and it’s surely not about (most of) them defending an issue that has touched them personally. It’s outside forces using propaganda to sway opinions. You know how anti-LGBT groups seem so scared that the gays are going to indoctrinate kids (because, of course, it’d be horrible if we taught kids to treat everyone with respect and dignity)? Well, these anti-choice groups are actually indoctrinating, and they’re doing it using fear. Which leads us to…

2) Students who participate in the Day of Silence are encouraged to stay silent for the day, pass out fliers, and wear stickers. Students who participate in the PLDSS are encouraged to do the same, in addition to wearing red masking tape emblazoned with the word “life” over their mouths (incidentally, they’re also allowed to break their silence in order to try to talk a woman out of having an abortion. Because a 9th grader with a quarter-page “fact” sheet is exceedingly qualified to help someone make that personal decision). Shock value and scare tactics go hand in hand, and they serve the same purpose. If you don’t have a logical argument for wanting to take away the rights of others, you distract people by presenting a compelling image or telling them something disturbing. Which leads us to…

3) And this is probably the biggest difference (and something that frustrates me daily): Those behind the Day of Silence are raising awareness of LGBT discrimination in the hopes that, one day, LGBT individuals will have equal rights. The proponents of the PLDSS, on the other hand, are interested in only one thing: stripping people of their rights. The right to privacy. The right to decide what happens to one’s own body. They want to take rights away, and if I live to be 100, I’ll never understand how someone can feel justified in doing that to another human.

So there you go. Maybe I am a hypocrite, maybe I’m blinded by my feelings on the matter… but the PLDSS just irks me, in a way that other student-focused protests don’t.

While reading up on the PLDSS, I came across several articles about it, some of which had reader comments. One commentator said that while he doesn’t agree with the kids’ views, he’s happy that they’re passionate about something. I understand where this person is coming from, but I’d argue that true passion for a cause is generally bred from experience and knowledge. Again, maybe I’m biased… but this doesn’t strike me as passion. It’s recitation. Which is why, at the end of the day, I don’t see this as a bunch of kids who stood up for what they believed in. I see kids who tried to shock and bully others into feeling a certain way. Which, honestly, I can’t really blame them for.

After all, it’s the only kind of discourse they know.  What do you think?

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