A small group of ‘abortion abolitionists’ used graphic imagery on Central Connecticut State University’s campus to promote their cause on Monday, Oct. 14.

Led by Norman Patterson Jr., founder of the Connecticut Foundation to Abolish Abortion and CCSU alum, the group argued with students about abortion policy and the morality of having the procedure.

“Unlike groups such as Students for Life and the broader pro-life movement, we are distinct in our call for the immediate and unequivocal abolition of abortion in Connecticut, as reflected in our name,” Patterson, of Simsbury, said later.

When protestors met Patterson’s group with handmade signs of their own, arguing for women’s rights to bodily autonomy, both parties began yelling.

Eliza Harris, president of the Students for Life, a new pro-life club on campus, said that while she appreciates the Abolitionists Rising’s efforts, there is a better way to have difficult conversations like this.

“I’ve never met them before. I didn’t know that they were coming,” she said. “They’re not affiliated with Students for Life or me, but I think it creates an environment that can get a little bit aggressive and not productive.”

Patterson said that they will continue to come back to Central’s campus for both evangelism and abolition education.

Jodi Latina, a spokesperson for CCSU, said that campus police “were present but never engaged.”

“As Central is a state institution and open to the public, permission to stand on campus and express your opinion is not required if you are in open space that is not reserved,” she said.

Nathalia Blair contributed to this article.