As the shepherd of a diocese that includes several Catholic institutions of higher learning, it is my unique obligation to teach and bear witness on these important questions, and a recent controversy surrounding the invitation of an “abortion doula” to Notre Dame to advocate for abortion prompts me to dedicate today’s column to the issue.
By way of background, Notre Dame’s Gender Studies Program and John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values are hosting a series of lectures entitled “Reproductive Justice: Scholarship for Solidarity and Social Change.” They define reproductive justice as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” The series features “scholars and advocates whose work at the intersections of reproduction with medicine, law, history, and culture promises a deeper understanding of the issues and histories underlying current debates.”
It is clear from the past and planned events in this series that the organizers are not conducting a neutral inquiry or exploring the debates within this field. The voices featured (including abortion providers and advocates) consider abortion itself to be an essential tool for pursuing justice, equality, and fighting discrimination. The lecture series is meant to persuade and form hearts and minds for “social change,” which is why many of its invited participants are activists rather than academics.
In fact, the lecture series appears to be an explicit act of dissent from Notre Dame’s admirable institutional commitment to promoting a culture of life that embraces and affirms the intrinsic equal dignity of the unborn, pregnant mothers, and families….
On March 20, the lecture series features an event entitled “Trans Care + Abortion Care: Intersections and Questions,” which includes a historian from John Hopkins, and “abortion doula” Ash Williams, who “has been vigorously fighting to expand abortion access by funding abortions and training other people to become abortion doulas.” In a recent profile, it was noted that Williams “has a tattoo on his left forearm of a tool used for manual vacuum aspiration — a type of abortion procedure. Williams said he loves the procedure because, ‘it’s one and done. It’s quick.’”
….Williams is not a scholar or even a prominent public intellectual. The Gender Studies Program and the Reilly Center (and the other units on campus supporting them) are simply providing Williams — a person who literally facilitates abortions — a platform for unanswered pro-abortion activism. Academic freedom is meant to create the space for free inquiry and intellectual exchange in service of pursuing and sharing the truth in charity. But this lecture is simply a conduit for activist propaganda that is not merely wrong, but squarely contrary to principles of basic human equality, justice, dignity, and nonviolence that the Catholic Church, Notre Dame, and many others (including non-Catholics) have affirmed for millennia….
Full story in Today’s Catholic.
This is good. Yet, I pray that bishops acquire the courage to forbid the sacraments at Catholic universities that promote mass killing of innocent babies. I realize most bishops do not have direct control over Catholic universities in their diocese operated by religious orders or now “private” schools. Yet, they have the authority and responsibility for the celebration of sacraments in their diocese. Forbidding marriages (weddings) in the chapels at Notre Dame. Santa Clara and LMU (to name a few examples) would send a clear and powerful message that we take life seriously.
The connections between Santa Clara University and the Diocese of San Jose are frightening, especially with regards to the education and of deacon formation
The bishops in California say absolutely nothing when the Jesuit schools advocate for abortion, the Prop 1 finger wagging at Newsom and the Democrats was pathetic in light of this
Good. Let’s put an end to woke, fake Catholicism.
Original Title: Reproductive Justice Series Promotes Injustice of Abortion and Provides Platform for Abortion Activists, in Opposition to Notre Dame’s Commitment to Culture of Life
It is written by Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes. He is bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend (Indiana).
Justice, mercy, love of neighbor, and respect for human dignity require that we protect the weak and marginalized from violence — including the violence of abortion. And true justice requires us all to join together to create a world in which mothers, fathers, children, and families are loved and protected.
Ash Williams???
Why not just look in the Yellow Pages
and call an exterminator?
“…Notre Dame’s Gender Studies Program ..” What was Notre Dame thinking when they established such a program? All they were doing was to establish a hotbed of feminist anger and rebellion from the “patriarchy,” that is, the Catholic Church. Dismantle it and any queer studies program and let the these malcontents find another university, preferably not Catholic, to stage their paganism.
Is a letter from the bishop going to pry these dissenting barnacles from the good ship Notre Dame’s hull? If not then stronger tools will be necessary, if the bishop has them and is willing to use them.
Williams is a trans man. Now it starts to make sense.
I wondered why any man would be an abortion “doula” whatever that is.
One way to bring Notre Dame’s pro-abortion “puss pimple” to a head, is to bring in a Pro-Life Rosary Rally, on campus to Legally protest the issue. A rally team manned by the Youth Action of Tradition, Family & Property and organized by America Needs Fatima.
This would spiritually and visibly pit the Revolution against the Counter Revolution.
And the Revolution would show themselves to be the true “vipers” they are.
Before Vatican II, the Church would have forbidden this. The local bishop would have stopped it. No problem. A Catholic university was Catholic, before the Council. Today, the Church is a total freak, with ridiculous, unnatural fear of normal use of proper, adult authority. The Catholic Church’s refusal to accept proper, normal authority to responsibly govern its own Catholic schools, universities and institutions, is a terrible loss to the Church and to societies, worldwide.
Abortion was not legal before Vatican II.
This has nothing to do with abortion. It has to do with refusing to follow Catholic teachings– as it is a Catholic university– on many issues. Later, the University of Notre Dame also had incidents (such as the 2009 Obama incident) of refusal to follow Catholic Pro Life teachings.
Don’t blame Vatican II.
Gravissimum Educationis 10.
Just more of Vatican II that was not implemented.
The Fathers of Vatican II decided to give plenty of “individual freedoms” to all Catholics, clergy and laymen. And the first thing that happened after that– was a tsunami of abuses of our religion, worldwide. No such thing anymore, as an outstanding Jesuit school, and excellent Catholic schools, colleges and universities hardly exist anymore. Notre Dame has really been struggling, especially since 1967, when the notorious Fr.Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C. re-shaped Notre Dame into an academically top-notch, competitive, modern, secular-style university, with modernist secular beliefs, values, and academic agendas, shedding a lot of its original Catholic beliefs, values, and mission. Too long to explain, here. Anyway, Fr. John Jenkins, the current Notre Dame president, has carried on this awful legacy, with many notorious events– such as inviting pro-abortion Pres. Barack Obama to give the commencement address in 2009– which caused an uproar. Obama was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree.
Where is that is Vatican II?
Document and number please.
“The Fathers of Vatican II decided to give plenty of “individual freedoms” to all Catholics, clergy and laymen”
That sentence makes absolutely no sense.
Catholics were not expected to know all that much back then. I have relatives who graduated from Catholic colleges before Vatican II and they did not really have to take that many classes in religion.
They probably could not pass a catechism quiz.
A lot more has been added since then.
You think the past was something it was not.
I just signed a big petition to Notre Dame, asking them to cancel their 2023 Commencement speaker, Juan Manuel Santos, a former Columbian president, who says he is a Catholic– but is also pro abortion and pro same-sex “marriage.” Notre Dame is also awarding Santos an honorary degree.
Maybe you should do some research into the organization that sent that petition.
No. Santos is well-lnown for his pro abortion and pro same-sex “marriage” views. Many Catholic groups are horrified over his invitation to give the Notre Dame Commencement address, and receive an honorary degree.