Students at a Catholic university deserve support and clarity on the issue of abortion.
[This article originally appeared in National Review Online on October 19th]
Few Catholic colleges in the United States remain formally committed to upholding the sanctity of human life. The University of Notre Dame, where I serve as president of Right to Life, is one such institution. However, following a timid statement on the reversal of Roe vs. Wade and no subsequent university action or acknowledgment of the Indiana abortion ban, the University’s commitment to supporting a culture of life on campus has been disappointing.
Meanwhile, unofficial resources promoting access to abortion have emerged in stalls and classrooms around campus. Campus publications cite non-university-recognized organizations to refer students to abortion providers. Faculty members not only openly dissent from the university, but some have been using their positions of authority at Notre Dame to publicly promise material assistance to students seeking abortion, as Alexandra DeSanctis reported last week. Activity of this sort contradicts both university policy and Church teaching.
Notre Dame can and should serve as a model for supporting life on campus to other colleges and universities. To be this example and cultivate a culture of life within its student body requires more than empty statements and fruitless “calls for dialogue.” Indeed, an institution that claims to lead the Catholic intellectual sphere in its commitment to life must do more.
Read the full article here.
Merlot Fogarty is a Junior studying political science, theology, and constitutional studies. Contact her via email mshorey@nd.edu to chat, she’d love an excuse to drink a cup (or two) of coffee with you!
Photo Credit: Matthew Rice
