We must protect the sanctity of human life in Gaza
This is the opinion of Sonja Hoversten, CSB senior
Once every year or so at CSB+SJU, the Students for Life club becomes a controversial topic on campus. This club is founded on the belief that all life is sacred and must be protected, especially the lives of babies and unborn children.
In America, this belief often begins and ends with banning abortion and doesn’t go much farther into protecting the lives of children.
This year especially, the hypocrisy of the “pro-life” community stands out more blatantly than it has in the past. Instead of tabling in Fireside with graphic images of aborted fetuses and harassing women at clinics seeking healthcare, the Students for Life club should be screaming from the rooftops about the levels of infant death in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli Occupation Forces and the weaponry funded by the U.S. government.
Since Oct. 7, 13,800 children in Gaza have died as a result of the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people (UN OCHA). The created famine and blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza threaten to starve Palestinians to death as Israel continues to kill aid workers like the World Central Kitchen and Palestinians seeking food and other forms of aid. As aid is restricted from entering Gaza, infants born into hell face a shortage of clean water, diapers and formula.
Recently, Israel announced that 300 aid trucks will be allowed to enter Gaza, which is the highest daily volume of aid to enter since before Oct. 7.
But this amount of aid does not come close to reaching the minimum required to feed the millions of innocent people suffering from starvation.
Currently, it is estimated that 15% of children in Gaza experience malnutrition, as do the adults caring for them (WHO). As of March 21, 27 children in Gaza have died due to malnutrition alone.
The rates of starvation in Gaza have also increased the number of infants born pre-term that require immediate care in the hospital. Infants lucky enough to survive Israeli airstrikes and make it to one of Gaza’s few remaining partially functioning hospitals are faced with shortages of medical supplies, water, fuel and medical personnel. More dangerous than the lack of supplies at the hospital is the imminent threat of IOF raids and attacks.
Since Oct. 7, Israeli Occupation Forces have raided several hospitals. Most recently, the IOF attacked Al Shifa Hospital leaving burnt ruins, decomposing bodies and executed medical personnel in their wake.
The starvation of the Palestinian people, targeting of hospitals and massacre of aid workers can be called nothing less than a direct act of genocide and goes against the fundamental and supposed pro-life movement that all life must be protected. Where is the protection for children in Gaza and why are their lives not sacred?
More than 33,000 Gazans have died, with thousands of bodies likely under the rubble as these acts of genocide have continued to occur over the past few months (WHO). The pro-life community must take action against this direct violation of the sanctity of life and stand up for what they claim to believe.
It is despicable to be staying silent as the people of Gaza experience genocide. The Israeli occupation of Palestine must come to an end and the United States must be held accountable for its unwavering support of a genocidal government. To those who have remained silent as thousands of men, women and children are murdered: We hear you and your support of genocide loud and clear.