For many passers-by, it was difficult to ignore the posters depicting graphic images lining the campus walkways near the Library Quad on Monday, and even more difficult to ignore the makeshift poster rising above the heads of a swarm of students.

The poster, held and created by Sacramento State student Mariana Gonzalez reads “You’re creating a hostile environment.”

Gonzales said that after she saw photos of what are purported to be aborted fetuses, she briefly went to class then bought the materials to make her poster.

“I came out here because I think it’s horrible to create an emotionally stressful situation for women and men alike on campus,” Gonzalez said. “It could create a situation as severe as suicidal thoughts.”

The images were displayed as part of an anti-abortion campaign by Project Truth, a Christian anti-abortion group that focuses on changing the minds of college students about abortion.

“We would like for them to not only tell other students who may be considering (abortion), that it is not right — but also if they were personally in that situation, to say ‘This is another human being, that person has rights also,’ ” said Ed Whitfield, a volunteer with Project Truth.

When asked what he thought about the students gathering around Project Truth speaker William Wilberforce in the Library Quad, Whitfield said, “I’m glad they’re there because they’re learning — they’re dialoguing, and that’s what college is about.”

Whitfield joined other volunteers in passing out a pamphlet titled “Unlock the truth about the 57 million missing,” which gives anti-abortion arguments.

However, some students disagreed that any dialogue was occurring.

“My personal thought is … instead of coming to have a dialogue, he would rather tell us that our thoughts are illogical,” said Micah Brufield, a Sac State student. “He said that all of our arguments are based on emotional appeal — that we’re illogical. But that whole pamphlet is emotional appeal.”

Whitfield claimed that women who are raped are “violated again with abortion.”

“We even have many of them tell us it was worse than the rape,” he said.

A woman with Project Truth, who wished to remain unnamed, said that she was a foster child and a three-time survivor of rape who was urged by her doctor to have an abortion six months into the pregnancy due to a brain malformation.

“I get the circumstances, but it doesn’t justify killing a baby,” she said. “Everyday with (my baby) is a blessing.”

On Tuesday, President Nelsen responded to “complaints and messages of concern” he received about the images, warning in his President’s Update that the group’s protest was scheduled to continue.

“If these images are upsetting to you and if you feel that they are as inappropriate as I do, then I encourage you to avoid that area,” Nelsen wrote. “While the University does not take a position on these issues and honors the sacred privileges of the First Amendment, I personally do not condone this group’s approach.”

Nelsen also noted that Sacramento State is a public space and as such, groups have a right to be on campus and exercise their freedom of speech.