This is a developing story.
Anti-abortion protestors gathered in front of Kearns Hall at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) on Sept. 3-5, drawing very few counter protestors with some students stopping to argue the other side on their way to class.
The protestors stood outside the building with posters of graphic images, while making speeches and handing out QR codes with information about chemical abortion pills.
Among those in attendance was Jessica Newell, a CCU student and founder of Illuminate South Carolina, an anti-abortion advocacy organization. She led multiple chants and was responsible for inviting the majority of the protestors, many of which were not CCU students.
Newell also created a fundraiser on website GiveSendGo, requesting donations for a sit-in outside of the Women’s and Gender Studies Office, which she later cancelled through a story post on her Instagram. However, protestors still made their way to campus organizing outside of Kearns Hall, the HTC Student Recreation and Convocation Center and Brooks Stadium.
“In order to host 30+ activists, we need YOUR help. We need an Airbnb, transportation, and meals to keep us going. Any donation, whether it be $5 or $5,000, will be greatly appreciated,” Newell’s fundraiser description read.
Some officers from CCU’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) joined the protestors outside in hopes to prevent violence, according to Chief and Director of Public Safety Robert Pellerin.
“[I] can’t make any comments about this at the moment,” Pellerin said. “[We’re] just keeping everybody safe, protecting First Amendment rights… for all sides, anybody who’s got a voice.”
