Bernie Sanders rallies for free tuition, abortion in Pittsburgh

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) advocated for abortion rights and free college at the Schenley Plaza in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania near the University of Pittsburgh (UPitt) last month.

The 8-minute speech, titled “Our Future is Now,” took aim at Supreme Court justices for making a “stupid and ugly decision” to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“A couple months ago the Supreme Court, in an incredibly stupid and ugly decision, said that women in America are not smart enough to control their own bodies,” Sanders said.

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He also shifted his focus to the cost of education in the United States and rallied behind free tuition.

“We should end the absurdity of hundreds of thousands of bright young people not being able to afford a higher education or leave school deeply in debt,” Sanders told the crowd, “and that is why we should make public colleges and universities tuition free.”

“Free college tuition is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard,” Sal Zuber, a UPitt student told Campus Reform. “It’s not going to be free, nothing is free. It would come from our taxes, I’d imagine, under his plan, which would skyrocket our taxes.”

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Zuber concluded by saying, “I’ll have a useful degree, and I’ll pay back my debt in a reasonable time.”

Khaleil Laracuente, UPitt student and vice president of its TPUSA chapter, shared similar viewpoints on Sanders’ speech.

“I do not think college should be ‘free’ and I put that in quotations because it’s not free, you are just paying for it with your taxes,” Laracuente told Campus Reform. “Also why should hard-working Americans have to pay for college tuition of gender studies majors, etc they are useless and have no benefit to society as a whole.”

Regarding abortion, Laracuente argued that giving the power to the states was a win.

“States rights are a good thing. You have more power as a person for decisions made at the state level,” he said. “If you are in a state where most people don’t want abortion to happen there then elect a governed who aligns with your view point. If you want abortion elect a governor who wants it, too.”

“It’s simple, abortion is not banned, stop your panic,” Laracuente concluded. 

Campus Reform reached out to each party mentioned and this article will be updated accordingly.

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Editor’s Note: An older version of this article read that the speech took place on UPitt’s campus, as was reported by The Pitt News. However, the speech took place at Schenley Plaza, which is independently operated by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.