By Andrew Schofield, Editorial Assistant -

On Tuesday, the College Democrats of Boston College hosted a showing of excerpts from the PBS Frontline documentary “Murder on Abortion Row.” It tells the story of the murders of two female employees at the Planned Parenthood in Brookline, a short 15-minute ride away inbound on the B-Line. Following the showing of parts of the film, Cynthia Lyerly, professor in the history department, moderated a discussion on the abortion issue in America.

The acclaimed documentary follows the murders of Planned Parenthood receptionists Lee Ann Nichols and Shannon Lowney, a recent graduate of Boston College at the time in late 1994 and the aftermath. Anti-abortion activists, under the guidance of the militant Operation Rescue, had protested outside the Planned Parenthood nearly everyday. “Sidewalk counseling,” prayer vigils, and human blockades became the norm outside the office. Amid this environment, John Salvi entered the Planned Parenthood in Brookline, and murdered the two young receptionists and injured five others. After the incident, he committed similar heinous acts in Norfolk, Virginia, before being arrested.

The story hits particularly close to home because Shannon Lowney was the typical BC student. She went on a service trip to Ecuador over winter break, and she used her intellectual curiosity to explore feminism and other areas of study inside and outside the classroom. She even spurned an offer of admission from Notre Dame to go to school here. She showed the same commitment to service that many BC students demonstrate everyday. She was simply pursuing what interested her in life in a similar fashion that thousands of BC graduates chase after their career choice upon graduation. But for that, she was killed.

Following the viewing, Lyerly led a discussion about the abortion issue. One of the points brought up by a student who attended discussed the difficulty of having healthy dialogue on abortion despite the fact that BC prides itself on being a liberal arts university.  The University limits debate on abortion because education must be balanced with Jesuit ideals, an issue of contention among many students.