Vanderbilt University Theatre’s production of “Keely and Du” is exactly what a college production should be—a hard, objective look at two sides of an intense debate.

“Keely and Du,” penned by Jane Martin, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1994, and concerns abortion in the context of the very unique relationship between the two titular women.

The play opens with a group of masked men part of the organization “Operation Retrieval” kidnapping and handcuffing Keely (portrayed by senior Angie Fontaine), a pregnant woman scheduled to have an abortion. As Keely is being handcuffed to her bed, her guard and guardian, Du (junior Julina Clare Fernandez), an older woman who seems genuinely concerned about Keely’s welfare, is introduced.

As time passes, a tumultuous, confrontational yet ever-closer relationship between Keely and her grandmotherly captor develops. Meanwhile, Walter (played by sophomore Brett Bolton), the leader of the fundamentalist group attempts to forcibly persuade Keely of the moral wrongness of abortion, even in the case of Keely’s rape.

After Walter brings Cole (senior Alex Kane), Keely’s ex-husband and rapist, to beg forgiveness from Keely, the play culminates in Keely bending a piece a wire to perform her own abortion, nearly dying in the process. The roles reverse, however, in the ambiguous ending, as an emotional Keely visits an abused, stoic Du in prison.

After last year’s controversial “The Shape of Things,” the plot of “Keely and Du” is sure to raise questions about an agenda in the Vanderbilt Visions program. Unlike “The Shape of Things,” however, which fostered all the discussion of “ … That artist girl was a whore,” this year’s production may spark some actual conversation. This is because “Keely and Du” is much more direct in the nature of the questions it poses: How do we as a society value life? What is the nature of forgiveness? Can two people, despite intense philosophical disagreement, become friends?

Though somewhat repetitious in its continual back-and-forth, the material and acting make a point of objectivity and pragmatism.

Obviously, the pro-life religious fundamentalists are not portrayed in the most flattering light. In many ways, though, they articulate their arguments for the preservation of life with considerably more impassioned logic than the pro-choice side does in turn.

The small cast handles the subject matter and deep emotional confrontation well. Bolton is particularly good as Walter. Though his motives are thoroughly political, his tactics horrible and ultimately his beliefs hypocritical, Walter has some of the most piercing insights of the play.

Though not exactly enjoyable, “Keely and Du” forces the viewer to consider and reconsider a major issue in a completely different context than usual.