This afternoon, an anti-abortionist displayed a graphic image of what appeared to be a deceased fetus in front of the Nicholls student union, sparking debate among students and passersby.

The pro-lifer, who simply referred to himself as David, preached his Christian views against abortion with the goal of “changing at least one woman’s mind.”

He also handed out coins inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

The sensitive nature of the subject, coupled with the graphic image, drew a mix of curious onlookers and strongly opposing debaters.

Nicholls sophomore Lynne Bosewell, part of the “Birth to Five” early education program, criticized David’s approach to handling the sensitive topic of abortion.

“Putting that poster up to make people feel fear surrounding the topic is inappropriate,” Bosewell said. “He has nothing to support anything that he is saying.”

David said he is part of a larger Christian ministry group that visits campuses around Louisiana, including LSU, Southeastern Louisiana University and, of course, Nicholls, where students say they usually see him every Wednesday. 

Nicholls police asked David to take down the graphic image, which he did temporarily before returning it to display.

David said he would only remove the image if children or buses (often containing visiting K-12 school students) passed by.

Another Nicholls student, Jacia Williams, chose not to engage in a debate but said she believed what David argued did not align with the imagery he displayed.

“If you’re going to talk about abortions, and have a picture of a still born, that’s two different things,” Williams said.

Some students, like Justice Lark, expressed that they agreed with David’s efforts to spread a religious message but disagreed with his execution.

“I like that he wants to change people’s minds about abortion. I just told him that he’s not doing it correctly,” Lark said.

“The way he is portraying this is very negative.”

David said he chooses to share his message on college campuses because of the large audiences he can reach. Despite the criticism and reactions to his approach, he said he still values the opportunity to speak with students and exchange ideas.

“What’s nice about this campus and this country is that even though we disagree, we can talk to each other civilly and have an exchange of ideas,” David said.