One thing club members are working toward is getting state funding to aid victims of rape or domestic violence in Utah. Currently these programs are funded with federal dollars, said Caitlin Carroll, 21, of Columbia, S.C., a junior majoring in political science. She is vice president of Parity.

After the rally, about 70 students attended a speech by Valerie Hudson, BYU political science professor, in the Wilkinson Student Center.

She presented facts and statistics from the U.N., including, "On average, at least one in three women is beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused by an intimate partner in the course of her lifetime."

Hudson also quoted LDS Church leaders, including President Howard W. Hunter, who said, "Any man who abuses or demeans his wife physically or spiritually is guilty of grievous sin and in need of sincere and serious repentance."

Hudson said, "Most of all, what we need is a change of heart."

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E-mail: astewart@desnews.com