Notre Dame Right to Life

Are 98% of Catholic Women on Contraceptives?

2012-02-20T08:52:00.001-05:00

In a recent blog post, Lydia McGrew considers the statistic dominating recent discussion: Are 98 percent of Catholic women using contraceptives?

Statistical data from the Guttmacher Institute

Simply put: The claim that 98% of Catholic women are using contraceptives is a false claim, derived in a manipulative way from the statistics included in this post. Linda McGrew elaborates of this falsification in her post:

The survey was limited to women between 15-44. Ah, well, that explains how we weren't including the elderly, but it also means that the silly "percent of all Catholic women" thing should be chucked out right from the beginning. More strikingly, as Neil pointed out to me after looking up the study, itexcluded any women who were a) not sexually active, where that is defined as having had sexual intercourse in the past three months (there go all the nuns), b) postpartum, c) pregnant, or d) trying to get pregnant! In other words, the study was specifically designed (as the prose discussion on p. 8 makes explicit, in bold print) to include only women for whom a pregnancy would be unintended and who are "at risk" of becoming pregnant. Whether or not it included women who considered themselves neither trying nor not trying to get pregnant (there are some such women in the world) is unclear. It's also unclear whether it included women who have had their reproductive organs removed because of some medical problem. Presumably the study was intended to exclude women in both of these categories, as neither would count as a woman "at risk of an unintended pregnancy."

Now, consider what all of this means as far as the representativeness of the sample for Catholic women. Surely there are a fair number of Catholic women between 15-44 who are not "at risk of an unintended pregnancy" for various reasons. It is plausible that this number is higher among Catholics than among non-Catholics. For one thing, a faithful Catholic woman in this age category who is not married is supposed to be remaining celibate. Hence she won't fall into the "at-risk" category, and by the same token she won't have any use for the "services" that the Obama administration is mandating be provided. Similarly, married Catholic women are probably more likely not to be attempting to avoid pregnancy, even using Natural Family Planning, than non-Catholic women. One would think they are also more likely to be pregnant or postpartum. And so on and so forth. In short, the deliberate design of the study to cover only women who, at the time of the study, were having sexual intercourse while regarding a pregnancy as unintended would be likely to make it unrepresentative of Catholics and particularly unrepresentative of devout Catholics. Yet the study is now being cited to show the percentage of Catholic women generally who are not following the teaching of the Catholic Church in this area! What is wrong with this picture?...

The statistics in the Guttmacher study appear to be okay for the purpose for which the study was originally intended. The intention of the study was to answer something like the following question: "Among women of various religious groups who are now sexually active but do not wish to become pregnant, what percentage use different methods of avoiding pregnancy?" But the purpose for which the statistic for Catholic women from the study is now being used is to argue, "A very high percentage of Catholic women (or, perhaps, Catholic women of child-bearing age) are currently not following the Catholic Church's teachings on sex and contraception and have a use for contraception forbidden by the Catholic Church."

For that purpose, these statistics are bogus...

Upon reflection, I have realized clearly an additional major problem with the 98% statistic. It is including all the Catholic women whoexpressly told researchers that they used "no method" to avoid pregnancy. In the table, that is 11%. The 98% statistic is apparently derived by subtracting only the 2% who said that they used NFP from 100%. So women who said they used no method of contraception are apparently being included in a statistic about how many Catholic women use contraception. How's that for crazy? And that's in addition to the problems discussed already in the original post.

To read her entire post, click here.

Dr. Alveda King speaking at IUSB

2012-02-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

via the Events Blog for the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture:

Next Tuesday, February 21, Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will speak on the campus of IUSB. This event was planned in response to the November lecture by Betty Cockrum, president of Indiana Planned Parenthood. It is sponsored by the IUSB Right to Life Club and St. Joseph County Right to Life. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. King will speak at 7 p.m. in The Grille, which is the university’s student cafeteria located in the Administration Building. This is the large building that faces Mishawaka Avenue at the northwest corner of the campus. The cafeteria is at the south end of the building. Parking will be free in any campus parking lot. The nearest parking is in those lots that are off South Esther St.

We encourage all of our members to attend this important event—and please bring anyone you think might be interested in hearing Dr. King. We also encourage you to help spread the word through your churches and neighborhoods.

In Defense of Religious Freedom

2012-02-17T09:30:00.001-05:00

In an essay featured in First Things Magazine, Catholics and Evangelicals together seek to defend religious freedom. Among the nearly 70 signers/endorsers are some Notre Dame faculty members: Gary Anderson (Theology), John C. Cavadini (Theology), Lawrence S. Cunningham (Theology), and Daniel Philpott (Political Science).

The essay reads:

Eighteen years ago, this fellowship of Evangelical and Catholic pastors, theologians, and educators was formed to deepen the dialogue among our communities on issues of common concern, to explore theological common ground, and to offer in public life a common witness born of Christian faith. Since our founding in 1994, we have addressed, together, such important public policy questions as the defense of life, even as we have proposed to our communities patterns of theological understanding on such long-disputed questions as the gift of salvation, the authority of Scripture, and the call to holiness in the communion of saints. We hope that this collaboration has been a service to both Church and society; it has certainly drawn us closer together as brothers and sisters in Christ, and for that we are grateful to the Lord of all mercies.

At the beginning of our common work on behalf of the gospel, it did not seem likely that religious freedom would be one of our primary concerns. The communist project in Europe had collapsed; the commitment of Christian believers to defeat totalitarianism through the weapons of truth had triumphed; and throughout the world, a new era of religious freedom seemed at hand.

We are now concerned—indeed, deeply concerned—that religious freedom is under renewed assault around the world. While the threats to freedom of faith, religious practice, and religious participation in public affairs in Islamist and communist states are widely recognized, grave threats to religious freedom have also emerged in the developed democracies. In the West, certain religious beliefs are now regarded as bigoted. Pastors are under threat, both cultural and legal, for preaching biblical truth. Christian social-service and charitable agencies are forced to cease cooperation with the state because they will not bend their work to what Pope Benedict XVI has called the “dictatorship of relativism.”

Proponents of human rights, including governments, have begun to define religious freedom down, reducing it to a bare “freedom of worship.” This reduction denies the inherently public character of biblical religion and privatizes the very idea of religious freedom, a view of freedom such as one finds in those repressive states where Christians can pray only so long as they do so behind closed doors. It is no exaggeration to see in these developments a movement to drive religious belief, and especially orthodox Christian religious and moral convictions, out of public life.

Given these circumstances, we offer this statement, In Defense of Religious Freedom, as a service due to God and to the common good. The God who gave us life gave us liberty. The God who has called us to faith asks that we defend the possibility that others may make similarly free acts of faith. By reaffirming the fundamental character of religious freedom, we contribute to the defense of freedom and to human flourishing, in our countries and throughout the world.

In making this statement, we confess, and we call all Christians to confess, that Christians have often failed to live the truths about freedom that we have preached: by persecuting each other, by persecuting those of other faiths, and by using coercive methods of proselytism. At times Christians have also employed the state as an instrument of religious coercion. Even some of the greatest leaders in the history of Christianity failed to live up to their own best ideals. As the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, put it, “In the life of the People of God, as it has made its pilgrim way through the vicissitudes of human history, there has at times appeared a way of acting that was hardly in accord with the spirit of the Gospel or even opposed to it.” It is this memory of Christian sinfulness that gives us all the more reason to defend the religious freedom of all men and women today.

Click here to continue reading this article.

Alma Mater with ND Right to Life

2012-02-15T01:39:00.003-05:00

Watch ND Right to Life sing the Notre Dame Alma Mater in front of the Supreme Court Building, after the 2012 March for Life.

Fr. Bill Dailey, ND Law, Comments on the HHS Compromise

2012-02-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

Father Bill Dailey, ND Professor of Law, comments on CNN on the recent compromise on the HHS Healthcare Mandate. Click the video below to watch his comments.

Former Dean, Carolyn Woo, Objects to HHS Mandate

2012-02-12T16:03:00.001-05:00

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), one of the world's largest charitable relief organizations, recently released a statement objecting to the HHS Healthcare Mandate. According to Dr. Carolyn Woo, former Dean of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and current President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, the mandate "would compel Catholic institutions to acquiesce to practices that run counter to our deeply held religious teaching... This is clearly at odds with our long-held American tradition of religious liberty."

Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Chairman of CRS's Board of Directors, also objected to the Mandate, stating, "CRS serves people according to need, not creed. We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and our Catholic identity compels us to cherish, preserve, and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life... To forgo this would be to deny our very essence... It is our hope that over the next year, the Obama Administration will realize the harm that this rule will cause to institutions such as Catholic Relief Services."

To read more on CRS's statement on the Mandate, click here.

CEC Director Remarks on HHS "Compromise"

2012-02-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

From the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture:

O. Carter Snead, Notre Dame Law School professor and newly appointed Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, has released a response President Obama's supposed "compromise accommodation" rejecting the proposed plan. Read the full statement below.

Director's Remarks
For Immediate Release February 10, 2012

President Obama’s proposed adjustments to the new Health & Human Services rule requiring Catholic institutions, including the University of Notre Dame, to provide health care plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs continue to violate religious liberty, according to O. Carter Snead, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame.

“Today’s ‘compromise accommodation’ is nothing of the sort,” Snead said. “The original uproar across the ideological spectrum was in reaction to the administration’s requirement that virtually all religious employers cover abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, and sterilization in violation of their strongly held beliefs.

“Today’s rule still requires religious institutions (on pain of ruinous treasury fines) to purchase insurance that covers these same objectionable services. It is irrelevant that the rule requires the insurance company (rather than the religious institution) to explain to employees that the policy purchased for them by their employer includes the 5-day after pill. For institutions that self-insure, the situation is even worse; they will be forced to contact their employees and pay for such services themselves.

“It is no answer to suggest that the religious liberty of such employers is being accommodated because they are not “paying” for the objectionable services. First, it is naïve to imagine that the services are truly cost-free and that these costs will not be passed along to the employers who purchase these plans. More importantly, the simple fact is that under this policy the government is coercing religious institutions to purchase a product that includes services that they regard as gravely immoral.

“We should ask ourselves why President Obama has sustained the narrow exemption for churches, religious orders, and auxiliaries? This is tantamount to the admission that this policy, just like the previous one, runs afoul of religious liberty.”

Leaders Call Obama Statement "Unacceptable"

2012-02-11T14:02:00.002-05:00

Early this morning, a letter was signed by five leaders, calling a recent statement by President Barack Obama "unacceptable." The signers were: Mary Ann Glendon (former Vatican Ambassador), Robert George (Professor, Princeton University), O. Carter Snead (Law Professor, University of Notre Dame), John Garvey (President, Catholic University of America), and Yuval Levin (EPPC Fellow).

The letter has been copied in full below:

Today the Obama administration has offered what it has styled as an “accommodation” for religious institutions in the dispute over the HHS mandate for coverage (without cost sharing) of abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception. The administration will now require that all insurance plans cover (“cost free”) these same products and services. Once a religiously-affiliated (or believing individual) employer purchases insurance (as it must, by law), the insurance company will then contact the insured employees to advise them that the terms of the policy include coverage for these objectionable things.

This so-called “accommodation” changes nothing of moral substance and fails to remove the assault on religious liberty and the rights of conscience which gave rise to the controversy. It is certainly no compromise. The reason for the original bipartisan uproar was the administration’s insistence that religious employers, be they institutions or individuals, provide insurance that covered services they regard as gravely immoral and unjust. Under the new rule, the government still coerces religious institutions and individuals to purchase insurance policies that include the very same services.

It is no answer to respond that the religious employers are not “paying” for this aspect of the insurance coverage. For one thing, it is unrealistic to suggest that insurance companies will not pass the costs of these additional services on to the purchasers. More importantly, abortion-drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives are a necessary feature of the policy purchased by the religious institution or believing individual. They will only be made available to those who are insured under such policy, by virtue of the terms of the policy.

It is morally obtuse for the administration to suggest (as it does) that this is a meaningful accommodation of religious liberty because the insurance company will be the one to inform the employee that she is entitled to the embryo-destroying “five day after pill” pursuant to the insurance contract purchased by the religious employer. It does not matter who explains the terms of the policy purchased by the religiously affiliated or observant employer. What matters is what services the policy covers.

The simple fact is that the Obama administration is compelling religious people and institutions who are employers to purchase a health insurance contract that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization. This is a grave violation of religious freedom and cannot stand. It is an insult to the intelligence of Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other people of faith and conscience to imagine that they will accept as assault on their religious liberty if only it is covered up by a cheap accounting trick.

Finally, it bears noting that by sustaining the original narrow exemptions for churches, auxiliaries, and religious orders, the administration has effectively admitted that the new policy (like the old one) amounts to a grave infringement on religious liberty. The administration still fails to understand that institutions that employ and serve others of different or no faith are still engaged in a religious mission and, as such, enjoy the protections of the First Amendment.

Signed:

John Garvey

President, The Catholic University of America

Mary Ann Glendon

Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University

Robert P. George

McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University

O. Carter Snead

Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame

Yuval Levin

Hertog Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

The Diginity Question

2012-02-11T13:53:00.002-05:00

Amidst all the heated debates surrounding the recent federal mandate that will have a profound effect on the Catholic Church and her institutions in this country, there is one that is of particular interest as it lies at the root of any ethical-political discussion; the dignity of the human person. However, in particular, these debates have taken a recent form by some to argue over the dignity of the woman beyond. I have in mind here, in particular, Emily Bieniek and Joel Moore's "Dignity in contraception" and Anne Reser's "A woman's dignity".

There is no doubt, of course, that the question of one's dignity it utterly important and therefore, utterly controversial. However, I hope to shed a little light on the issue. In the first article, beyond the series of claims against the 'forms of rhetoric that the RTL group chose to utilize that should not be allowed,' Bieniek and Moore make a most curious point: "People throughout the United States and across the globe use condoms and contraception to protect themselves and their loved ones in a variety of difficult circumstances that include, but are not limited to: protecting against consequences of domestic violence and rape, preventing the spread of HIV and other STDs and ensuring that they can feed the children that they already have. These people are not undignified. In fact, they are actively taking steps to improve their situation with bravery and dignity."

This immediately calls to a mind a sentiment along similar lines from the Holy Father that caused a bit of hype itself. In chapter 11 of "Light of the World", Benedict XVI states: "She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality." You are quite right then to note that at times, those who use contraceptives do so for a somewhat-noble reason; that is, they perceive themselves to be protecting life rather than destroying it. This is, however, few and far between. Furthermore, I note it to be somewhat-noble as the contraceptive 1) still functions as a life-preventer rather than a life-supporter and 2) leads to a contraceptive culture which is, while subtle, most dangerous. As the Holy Father furthers elaborates: "As a matter of fact, you know, people can get condoms when they want them anyway. But this just goes to show that condoms alone do not resolve the question itself. More needs to happen. Meanwhile, the secular realm itself has developed the so-called ABC Theory: Abstinence-Be Faithful-Condom, where the condom is understood only as a last resort, when the other two points fail to work. This means that the sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalization of sexuality, which, after all, is precisely the dangerous source of the attitude of no longer seeing sexuality as the expression of love, but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves. This is why the fight against the banalization of sexuality is also a part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man’s being."

This then leads into Ms. Reser's article. One of the two claims I take Ms. Reser to be making is that a woman's dignity it not tied to "her ability and desire to produce children." She states "Who I am as a person is not in any way related to the reproductive state of my uterus." This is actually more in line with the sentiments of Pope Benedict, and the article she is responding to, than she might think.

To begin, it is important to note that one's dignity, as an imago Dei, is something utterly mysterious, transcendent, and immeasurable. Now I say she is on to something here because she is quite right to take issue with a sentiment that views women as merely child-bearing animals; as if their sole function is to bear children. The same applies, of course, to men who are not mere seed-dispensers. This utilitarian view of "the other" leaves absolutely no room for the beauty and mystery that is a human person; we do not equate a persons dignity with his functions but rather discern his nature, his essence, from his function and in that resides the dignity of the person. (I recommend glancing at St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, Ia, q. 29, a. 1, corpus here)

The irony in this, of course, is that precisely what Ms. Reser takes offense to is precisely what Benedict warns against as the result of a contraceptive culture. Sex is utterly stripped of its meaning; one looks at a woman (or man) merely for the sexual pleasure she/he might dispose and not the love and intimacy that can be shared between the partners. Contraceptive sex allows for all the pleasure without the so-called "consequences" that is a new created life. One may disagree on this point but it is important to note that right reason always, always, sides with life over death. This is precisely the eternal act of God and essence of Christ's resurrection from death! This is the fundamental and foundational point of any ethical or political stance that stands in accord with God and His Church ; a stance for life and against death (note this a Catholic commentary rooted in Catholic tenets, not modern liberal tents).

However, this is not to say that women (and men) aren't distinctively dignified in their ability to procreate. What rarely gets noticed in this discussion is the most dignified position man holds in the whole order of Creation; man, in a way both brute-animals and angels can't, shares in God's creative action. Yes, two dogs can produce a puppy but they cannot do so except from their innate nature to reproduce; its is merely habitual and devoid of any meaning for animals. Angels, of course, by their very nature, are incapable of reproducing. We however, participate in God's creative act, as images of God, in a most profound way; we do so rationally and rooted in a unitive love.

For this reason (and I have quoted this before), the Code of Canon Law clearly notes, “For matrimonial consent to exist, the contracting parties must be at least not ignorant that marriage is a permanent partnership between a man and a woman ordered to the procreation of offspring by means of some sexual cooperation.” (Can. 1096 §1.) The two go hand in hand and cannot be divorced. This speaks to Ms. Reser's mere hind-sight consideration, then, that as one who is not in a position to bear children and raise a family, that she "should defer the process until a time at which it would be responsible and healthy for all involved" This is similarly confused. Fundamental to our nature as free-willed rational agents are the notions that “Omne agens agit propter finem” and “Omne agens agit propter bonum.” That is to say, all agents act for an end...and an end that is good for him. That is not to say that a married couple, with all the rights and privileges of engaging in sexual intercourse, is not capable of, as you note, withholding from conceiving a child at certain times under Natural Family Planning (NFP). This, however, must be done with an eye to a culture and motive rooted towards life, not death or contra-life (contraceptive). However, and its not unusual to view NFP as simply another form of contraceptive, to draw out the distinction is beyond the scope of this post. Thus, at this point, I can merely assert with the Tradition of the Church that, while NFP can be used in an evil manner, it is not inherently evil as contraceptives are.

Now, this brings us to a fundamental point (and brings up the second point Ms. Reser mentions: her issue with the notion of being "sexually available to any man.") What is the end in mind when we have sex. Now, I must grant that when one is "in the moment," I highly doubt that a rational discursive act is taking place in his/her mind as to the end. However, the end is innate to us; re recognize it immediately. Is it pleasure or procreation. If pleasure, is it pleasure for myself or for the other. What the contraceptive culture allows for is sex to be merely about pleasing myself...again having the pleasure without the so-called consequences. The end in fact is two-fold. It feels good for a reason but the that is not the sole end; bodily pleasure. What is the first commandment God gives Adam and Eve in the garden; to be fruitful and multiply. God planted in our hearts the innate desire to have sexual intercourse with our spouse but the consideration of procreation is also positively essential. We engage in sex because it feels good but not only because it feels good; that leads very dangerously to using the other as merely a tool for my own sexual pleasure. In a contraceptive culture, the other merely becomes a tool and in that, we are incapable of recognizing one's dignity in 'their intelligence, in their determination and drive in their kindness and loyalty' or more importantly, in the fact that they are a image of the Creator.

-Michael Black is a contributing blogger for Notre Dame Right to Life. He graduated from Notre Dame in 2011 and is currently a seminarian for the Diocese of Covington

Contraceptives and Control

2012-02-05T23:54:00.002-05:00

Elliott Pearce, ND'11, continues recent debate on artificial contraception. His article may be read by clicking here, and it has been copied below:

I would like to reply to Notre Dame Right to Life officers' Jan. 31 letter, "Contraception and Dignity," touched off when it sternly condemned the use of artificial contraception. I am going to argue on behalf of the original letter's position by responding to some of the arguments made by "Contraception and Dignity," Feb. 3.

Emily Bienek, Joel Moore and John Galeziewski argued contraception can mitigate the harmful consequences of domestic violence, rape and drunken hook-ups. This argument fails because these problems cannot be solved by contraception. If women are really so afraid of being assaulted by friends, boyfriends, husbands and strangers they feel they must be taking contraception at all times to prevent unplanned pregnancies, our society suffers from a far greater problem than a lack of reproductive choice.

I would rather make the world safe from violence against women than hand out birth control pills to potential rape victims. Similarly, the fact that many Notre Dame students regularly get so drunk that they cannot control their behavior contributes to a host of problems of which unplanned pregnancies are only one. We can better resolve that issue by helping students drink responsibly than by constantly struggling to reduce the harm they do to themselves and others when they are drunk.

Bienek, Moore, Galeziewski and Anne Reser all made the point artificial contraception helps women by allowing them to regulate how many children they have and when they have them. This allows women to pursue other goals before starting a family and to responsibly regulate the size of their families once they have them. Abstinence before marriage and NFP during marriage can do the same things. Researchers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany found NFPis as effective as "the pill" at preventing conception, and (forgive the cliché) abstinence remains the only 100 percent effective means of preventing pregnancy and STDs.

John Galeziewski suggests NFP, even when properly used, is no different than other forms of contraception. On the contrary, NFP does not upset the delicate chemical balance within a woman's body in ways that could damage her health, as hormonal contraceptives do.

It also does not fundamentally change the nature of the sexual act by chemically or mechanically eliminating one of its key functions, something all forms of artificial birth control do as well. Finally, NFP makes sex more intimate for couples that use it by giving them a greater understanding of the natural reproductive process and how to work within it to plan their families.

Anne Reser deplores the fact "there are still people who believe that a woman's dignity is somehow tied to her ability and desire to have children." I believe she has misunderstood "Contraception and Dignity" on this issue. At the risk of putting words in the authors' mouths, I believe the people behind "Contraception and Dignity" would not call a woman's reproductive ability the sole source of her worth. Rather, they would assert that a woman derives her dignity from all of the various and wonderful gifts God has bestowed on her by making her in His image, and that her ability to create and nurture life within her own body is merely one of these gifts, though it is an awe-inspiring and very important one.

Women do not need artificial birth control to protect themselves, plan their families or affirm their dignity. They can avoid unplanned pregnancies and STDs by abstaining from sex before marriage and regulate the births of their children within marriage by using NFP. They can better respect themselves by embracing their ability to bear children as an important part of their nature than they can by denying the beauty and significance of one of the greatest abilities of any human person, which they alone happen to possess. The only thing women (and men) "need" artificial contraception for is to have sex whenever they want and with whomever they want. Modern society thinks sex should be like television: entertainment on demand. Those of us who believe that sex is a total, loving and fruitful gift from one person of incommensurable dignity to another believe sex was meant for something more.

Elliott Pearce

junior

Knott Hall

Feb. 3

Regrounding the HSS Mandate Debate

2012-02-04T21:33:00.010-05:00

The issue of contraceptives is not a new issue; however, due to recent mandates from the Nation’s Capitol, we have seen a recent increase in excitement and energy with regards to the dialogues revolving around the use, and dispensation, of contraceptives. This letters considers Mr. Evan Graham’s “Protecting the right to choose,” which in itself serves as a response to the letter the Notre Dame Right to Life Club published on Feb. 1.

Typically (and this is evident by the ‘dialogue’ between Mr. Graham and NDRTL), the discussion has two parties talking right past each other. You have, on the one hand, one noting that a contraceptive act halts the potentiality of life (the natural result of a sexual encounter) and, on the other hand, the claim that a woman has a right to choose, not only whether or not she can use contraceptives (that is, that it should be readily available and the choice of contraceptives is up to the woman, rather than the government), but whether or not she carries the baby that would be conceived in the womb. (N.B. I am avoiding the discussion of abortion here; I merely mention the choice to engage in sexual, and therefore reproductive intercourse, and choose not to conceive altogether).

There are a good number of points, then, that Mr. Graham glosses through rather quickly. First he states that it is a choice of whether or not the contraceptives are used. He then jumps immediately to the point that it is a most difficult choice. He then jumps to a quite different discussion in hopes of justifying his point on the right of the woman: his direct repudiation of the original article’s quote of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. After fundamentally disagreeing with the Church, he switches gears once again and enters the current debate of whether or not a religious institution ought to be required to provide contraceptions.

Undoubtedly, there are some at Notre Dame, even Catholics, who disagree with the Church’s teaching on contraceptives. Yet, the Church teaches "Without the [unitive and procreative] aspects the sexual act is stripped of its meaning, and man and woman fail to give themselves to each other in complete love." (§ 2399) These two cannot be separated. One can truly not be unitive if they are procreative and vice versa. The decision, he argues, “whether or not to have children involves many factors in a person's life, such as finances, the woman's job and the current health of both parents.” I add the same goes for getting married. The mistake here is separating the procreative from the unitive. As the Code of Canon Law clearly notes, “For matrimonial consent to exist, the contracting parties must be at least not ignorant that marriage is a permanent partnership between a man and a woman ordered to the procreation of offspring by means of some sexual cooperation.” (Can. 1096 §1.) What Mr. Graham offers is a mere hind-sight consideration to validate the contraceptive; these same issues and factors are to be considered before the marriage is even contracted.

The decision “to hold off on having children or to not have children” is, then, equally a decision to get married or not get married. Further still, contrary to what he wrote, the procreative act defines the love expressed between two people in indescribable ways; the very procreative act allows man to take part in the great act of love that is God Almighty’s act of creation; his reditus of an outpouring of love.

This is not the current debate, however. Regardless of your moral leanings, the Church has a strong stance contra contraception. The current debate is rooted in our post-Lockean liberal state that is founded upon a notion of Natural Rights rather than the Natural Law. Fundamental to this then, is the right of religious freedom and the notions of separation of Church state. Conflated together in his article, Mr. Graham discusses the right of a woman on the private level to use a contraceptive and offers a counter-theology to the Church’s teaching on a woman’s right to use a contraception; yet he misses one last fundamental point to this recent spark of controversy surrounding the contraception debate at large -- that of religious freedom.

Just as people are entitled to their own religious beliefs, views on contraception, etc etc, so too are religious institutions entitled to choose whether or not they offer contraceptives. There is no doubt that there are students at Notre Dame, even Catholic students, who disagree with the moral code upon which the university is founded; the very ethos that permeates Our Blessed Mother’s institution. However, to state that the university is somehow failing to give a basic right to woman rests merely on a view that woman have a fundamental right to use a contraceptive. Further, the last point that it strips that “right” away from those who are not Catholic is to me quite absurd. We have in this country alone, a myriad of institutions of various backgrounds and foundations. Now imagine yourself who just happens to be an avid lover of all things pork decides to attend a Jewish institution; would you honestly be offended or even surprised that pork is not served in the dining halls? Of course not!

Of course, this is the fundamental issue that is highlighted by the recent debate; whether or not a religious institution ought to be obligated and mandated to perform an act that stands in complete opposition to the religious views of the institution. Leaving the fact that one has a state-given right to contraceptives aside, this mandate atrociously disregards any notion of religious freedom in the name of a radical secularism. Under the guise of liberal politics and a free democracy, a prejudice against the Catholic Church and her teachings on the dignity of the human person runs free (Here, Newman's Apologia pro sua vita applies). What is accomplished in this country is a certain kind of plurality of religions where no religion has any authority to assert or proclaim its doctrines in the public sphere; for how can the Church tell a woman whether she can use a contraceptive? Religion, then, is pushed into a purely private and individualistic sphere. That this is problematic for the Church doesn't take much explanation: Christ commands his Apostles to go out and Baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Yet, progressing even further, we now have the Church in a position in which it cannot uphold its owns fundamental teachings!

Students who choose to attend a Catholic university do so for a good number of reasons. In the choosing of a university it is evident that the ethos is going to be present in the university’s history and academic principles. Does it come as a shock to any, upon arriving on campus and seeing our Blessed Mother, gold upon the dome, that this university stands with a fundamental foundation in the teachings of the Church? Therefore, those who choose to attend a Catholic university should know and accept that they are involving themselves in a certain environment in which Catholicism is taught and lived out by the faculty, staff, and even the students. For a Catholic university to deny its Catholic roots, to compromise the Catholic ideals, to forfeit Catholic morality does a grave disservice to the institution, its faculty and staff, its alumni, benefactors, and most importantly its students, who have paid dearly for a Catholic education.

For Notre Dame to offer contraceptives is not an issue. If she wants to maintain her role as a Catholic university, she cannot compromise. What is at stake here is not the right of one to use or not use a contraceptive; in this country, that is already the case despite the great danger a contraceptive culture can do to a society. What is at stake here is a question of religious liberty. Notre Dame does not and would not be forcing those in disagreement into agreement with Her Teachings; they attend or work there out of their volition (and this of course is quite right as a purely obligatory approach to religion and morality can never succeed). For those who feel that their “rights” are being infringed upon, as Mr. Graham claims is the result, there are numerous drug stores in South Bend or Mishawauka. But to ask a Catholic institution to offer contraceptives is as ridiculous as asking a Jewish family to eat pork. It is not a question of rights to contraception; it is a question of the government forcing a religious institution to perform acts contrary to their beliefs. That is to say, the government is committing a horrific overstep contra religious freedom. The rights of religious conscience and liberty for one cannot compromise the conscience and liberties of another; for then it is no longer liberty but tyranny. And tyranny has no place in a university; where the freedom to explore the realms of academia must prevail in order to continue to seek the truth for which man longs.

-Michael Black is Right to Life's first contributing blog author. He graduated from Notre Dame in 2011 with majors in philosophy and theology. He is a former member of Right to Life, and he is currently a seminarian for the Diocese of Covington.

Footprints Issue IV now available

2012-02-01T18:56:00.003-05:00

Issue IV of Footprints, NDRTL's official newsletter, has just be released. You may view it by clicking here (or by visiting chooselife.nd.edu and clicking "Newsletter").

This issue includes:

The 2012 March for Life, including reflections by students.
A national meeting for pro-life leaders, organized by NDRTL
A letter from the officers of NDRTL on artificial contraception and human dignity (an abridged copy of this letter was printed in The Observer and may be read by clicking here).
And more!

A Call to "Disregard the Mandate"

2012-01-28T00:06:00.002-05:00

On January 24, more than a dozen alumni of the University of Notre Dame, submitted a letter to the editor to The Observer calling on Father Jenkins to disregard the HHS Healthcare Mandate. The letter ends:

"There may come a point when the government attempts to force the University to change, either through a revocation of federal funding or through the courts. If that day comes, we will be standing beside you.

Father Jenkins, we encourage you to clearly announce Notre Dame's intention to disregard the HHS regulation as an infringement of the freedom of religious exercise and to state in succinct terms that there can be no compromise on this particular issue."

The full letter can be read by clicking here. You can 'sign the letter' by adding your name and class year under 'comments' at the bottom of the letter.

March for Life Reflections 4

2012-01-27T11:24:00.002-05:00

"I had the opportunity to go to the You and Me exhibit on Saturday. It was created by the Sisters of Life for World Youth Day last fall. There were a series of posters and ipod recordings that intertwined music and personal stories of four people who were placed in a difficult situation and chose a loving option. The people were real people who really had the ability to speak to my heart. I especially liked the story of a young man who considered himself to be honest and strong, went to church, and was dating a girl. He told us about how he felt when she told him she was pregnant. I hadn't thought before about all the pressure that a guy feels in that situation. His first instinct was to give the normal lines, don't worry, you can just get a quick abortion and no one will ever have to know, because he was still in school and knew that he couldn't handle it. He knew his family would find out, and thought that she would be the one who would ultimately have to carry the baby. Thankfully, he just told her that they both needed to think about what to do. He struggled with a battle between his fears and the encouragement of friends against a stronger voice that challenged him to be courageous, trust God, and help his girl friend. As he listened, he realized that he couldn't tell her to have an abortion, so he went to her and told her that he would help her in any way he could. When she realized that he wasn't going to ask her to get an abortion, she cried and cried. She told him that without his support, she knew she wouldn't have been able to carry their baby. It meant so much to her that he didn't abandon her, nor become angry at her.

As the music played, I walked around a corner and saw a beautiful picture of their three year old son playing and laughing. Because they were students, they decided that the best thing for their son was to find him a loving family to adopt him. This family spoke about the blessing the boy is, and then it returned to the young man. He finished his education and is very thankful that his son was born and is with a loving family right now. "

-Kellie Raddell

ND class of 2013

"I have never considered myself a “die-hard” pro-lifer or even vocalized my opinion until I came to Notre Dame. I believed that the unborn baby is a living being that deserves the right to life, but I always felt uncomfortable talking to others about this opinion. I received a couple e-mails about the trip, but I never thought I would actually go. Then, over break I decided maybe it was time for me to check it out. What was the worst that could happen? I am happy I did.

Last weekend I met some of the coolest people, I became a lot closer with the friends I went with, and most importantly I learned how important the pro-life movement really is. By coming together and standing up for an important issue, you learn more about people than you ever would sitting in a classroom. I realized that if people work together they can make a big difference. Marching for four hours was worth the night bus rides and uncomfortable sleeps. It was a pilgrimage for the unborn babies that will never know life. I plan to make that pilgrimage until the laws change and everyone has a fair chance at life. "

-Tatum Snyder

ND class of 2015

March for Life Reflections 3

2012-01-26T18:02:00.002-05:00

"This was my fourth trip to DC for the March for Life (my third with ND RTL). In previous years, after returning, I would respond along the lines of, 'Great! There were a lot of people at the March and I had a good time in DC.' and think no more of it when asked how the trip went. But this year, I began to feel uneasy with that response.

The reason we go to DC is to speak out against the culture of death in this country. Is that really an event that I should return from feeling like I 'had a great time?' Is it ok for me to spend a day exploring monuments and museums in addition to attending the March and other Pro-Life events like Masses or the Sisters of Life exhibit? Was the weekend really about the March or rather about building new friendships while riding the Metro and eating at IHOP? Should I really enjoy participating in an event that is speaking out about an unspeakable evil?

After pondering this questions for a while and trying to find an adequate way to express 'how the trip went' to my friends who asked; I have concluded that all of these things are not only okay, but really the reason we go to DC to March for Life in the first place. Thinking on the lively religious from El Instituto del Verbo Encarnado (The Institute of the Incarnate Word) and the children they bring to the March led me to this conclusion. Every year, I can't wait to March alongside IVE because, amongst their large group of priests and sisters, a few jam on their drums while the others dance and sing, all the way from the Mall to the Supreme Court. IVE has shown me that the March is not about anger or resentment or sadness (although these emotions are definitely felt to varying levels), but rather the March is truly about Life. Supporting Life. Enjoying Life. Loving Life. The March is a celebration of Life rather than just another angry protest. Looking around while there, it is easy to see this. All around you are thousands upon thousands of children and parents, priests, brothers, and sisters praying, singing, dancing, all with smiles upon their faces; new friendships are being formed, old ones are being cherished, and spirits are being uplifted. This is the key to the Pro-Life movement -- it is a movement of love.

Now, I am proud to say that I enjoyed my trip to DC to March for Life. I formed new friendships with great people and also spent quality time with old friends both while Marching to support Life and exploring the past of our great country. I hope that once we have beaten this scourge which is upon our nation, we continue to gather in DC to celebrate this human victory each year. I think that all Pro-life people should continue to gather to show that it is not and never was a political victory, but a victory for all humans and that we will never be content to let things return to how there are now. (In addition, there are other Pro-Life issues which need to be addressed besides Roe v. Wade.) We should continue to gather to show those who oppose life that the Pro-Life movement always was and will be a movement of love and hope and a celebration of Life. With all this in mind, I look forward to returning to DC next year, hopefully to celebrate a great victory for human dignity, but in the least to join again with El Instituto del Verbo Encarnado in a great Celebration of Life."

-Zach Harris

ND class of 2013

March for Life Reflections 2

2012-01-24T16:29:00.002-05:00

The following are reflections by students who attended the 2012 March for Life:

(all Notre Dame students who attended the March for Life received the name of a child aborted in South Bend last year, along with the date of his/her abortion...)

"Laura. Putting a name to the unborn child makes it even more real. This is a life! A living human being crafted by God. Tears filled my eyes as I pondered the countless Lauras killed by abortion."

-Angela Bermudez

ND class of 2014

"While I have participated in marches in my hometown, this was my first time both traveling with the Right to Life group and visiting DC. I was initially pretty nervous about coming along, and I didn't really know anyone else going very well. Fortunately, the experience of exploring DC with a great group of young people passionate about living out their pro-life beliefs is a darn good way to grow in friendship.

I had an amazing time exploring the city, and the march was a wonderful experience. However, after the march I met an elderly man on the subway who shared a remarkable story. Twenty five years ago, when his wife was expecting, he had continuously tried to persuader her to have an abortion. Thankfully, she chose life for her son despite her husband's stance. This child grew up, was an all-American baseball player, excelled in law school, and was practicing law by the age of 25. The man on the subway stressed how extremely proud of his son he was. He told me his son was the best thing to happen in his life, and he expressed his joy that his wife had refused to listen to his mistaken advice. He now sees how blind and foolish he had been, and every day he asks God for forgiveness and thanks him for the brilliance his son has brought into his life.

More recently, the old man had been hospitalized for 11 days, and he beamed as he told me his son was at his side every minute of it. He kept repeating to me all his son had accomplished and how proud of him he was. I could clearly see the Lord at work in this man's life, and the growth of faith, love, and respect for every human being that he had experienced was both touching and inspiring.

I am so glad that I rode in the same train car as this man. I felt Christ speak to me through his story, and he gave me great hope and confidence that God is clearly working in us, and that he uses each human life to bring about the joy and peace of His Kingdom."

-Joe Rumpza

ND class of 2013

"My first time on the March for Life far exceeded my expectations. I went to a public high school where I quickly learned it was better to avoid talking about abortion. Being pro-life in a culture of death is often lonely. Coming here makes me realize that the pro-life movement is alive. My fellow ND students, people across the nation, the wonderful religious orders, like Sisters of Life, have inspired me with the vigor in which they defend life. Notre Dame is often criticized for its failure to defend life, but it is here that I have found a passion to do more."

-Angela Bermudez

ND class of 2014

March for Life Reflections 1

2012-01-24T13:28:00.005-05:00

The following are reflections by students on the 2012 March for Life.

"The gravity of abortion hit me hardest when I was in the Right to Life office one day. Each March for Life attendee received a remembrance card to pray for an individual child who had been aborted. In order to make these cards, Notre Dame RTL had a stack of papers - at least 300 - which were photocopies of real clinical forms filled out for performed abortions. Each paper had the mother's age, the baby's age, the method of abortion, and the date of the murder, among other informaiton.

That's when it hit me - this isn't some abstract cause that we're fighting. This is a very real, present tragedy that murders children and traumatizes their mothers every day. If we have any sense of compassion, we must fight to protect these women and children, and their families, from abortion"

-Amanda Bambury

ND class of 2014

"The March for Life is a thing that I grew up with, and every year that I get a chance to go I take it to show my support for the truth and for those unborn babies without a voice. It is remarkable how many people year to year come and show their support."

-John Walter

Holy Cross College class fo 2013

" I have been coming to the March for Life for a few years, but this year being a senior made it extra special. I listened more, watched more, and took advantage of this being my last year as an ND student experiencing this. It is awesome, and I hope to come back to the NDRTL group later and see what progress has been make. Father Jenkins said it perfectly today, "We will not let a court decision mask the fundamental truth.""

-Sara Teising

ND class of 2012

"It's so easy to forget why we're in D.C. When you're in awe of the beautiful monuments, museums, history, and grandeur of our nation's capital... In the midst of all the fun we have on this trip, it is essential to remember that we were brought to this wonderful city by tragedy. We are not here for ourselves, but for millions of children who are killed and silenced each day."

-Amanda Bambury

ND class of 2014

Footprints Issue III Now Available

2012-01-04T03:53:00.006-05:00

We have just finished issue III of Footprints, the official newsletter of the University of Notre Dame's Right to Life Club. Contained in this issue are:

A brief reflection on Project Mom's Fall Baby Shower
The Fall 2011 Bread of Life Dinner
The winner of our fall 2011 Pro-Life Essay Contest
and more!

Footprints can be reached on the newsletter page of our website (visit chooselife.nd.edu and click "Newsletter"). If you have friends or family who would like to subscribe to receive Footprints in the future, they can sign up online. Here is a direct link to this issue of Footprints: http://www.nd.edu/~prolife/footprints/Footprints_V_03.pdf

Student Shop Payments are Now Available for the 2012 March for Life

2011-11-28T14:09:00.003-05:00

If you have registered to pay for to attend the 2012 March for Life with Notre Dame Right to Life through Student Shop, you can now make that payment by clicking here.

For more information about the 2012 March for Life, click here or visit chooselife.nd.edu and click "March for Life" under the "Events & Activities" tab.

Watch our new Project Mom video!

2011-11-17T23:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHNCsf0djgU

Project Mom- Volunteers Needed

2011-11-09T11:40:00.001-05:00

It's that time of semester again- Project Mom is coming up! Every semester we, in conjunction with the Women's Care Center, throw a baby shower for 3-6 local underprivileged mothers. Mark your calendars! The next one will be held on Saturday, December 3rd, from noon-2pm. There will be free food, games, and prizes available- make time to come and support these mothers' choice of Life!

We are going to need some help collecting donations in the coming weeks. The job is simple- collect domer dollars and cash at the LaFun elevator table and spread the word about the shower. We are looking for at least two people to sign up per shift!

For more information, email Abby Statham (astatham@nd.edu)

Prolife Essay Contest

2011-11-07T19:58:00.002-05:00

First Prize: $20 Starbucks gift certificate

Topic: Abortion: More than a Religious Issue

Deadline: Tuesday, November 29

Essays may be submitted by any students or alumni of the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, or Holy Cross College. The inner will be featured in NDRTL’s newsletter, Footprints, and on the NDRTL website*. Essays of honorable mention may also be featured. Essays should be between 500 and 800 words (1-3 pages), although essays of greater or less length will be considered. It is recommended, though not required, to cite official Church documents. Essays may take any form of the author’s choosing, although they should be interesting and understandable to the general Notre Dame community. The essay is to respond to the specified topic, as stated above.

If you have any questions, please email cdamian1@nd.edu

To submit your essay, complete the form that can be found by clicking here, or email cdamian1@nd.edu.

*All featured essays may be subject to editing.

This Weekend: Lectures on Life, Human Dignity, and Human Sexuality

2011-11-07T19:50:00.001-05:00

Lectures Happening this Weekend!

November 10-12, the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture is hosting its annual Fall Conference. This year’s conference is entitled: “Radical Emancipation: Confronting the Challenge of Secularism.” Below are presentations of particular interest for Notre Dame Right to Life.

Click here for more information.

Friday, November 11

9:00-10:15 Panel Presentations

McKenna 210: Natural Family Planning, Contraception, and the Theology of the Body: The Practice of Virtue and the Need for Inter-traditional Discourse

McKenna 114: Human Dignity: Reason, Rights, and Revelation

McKenna 212: Bioethics and Moral Pluralism

McKenna 106: Anthropology: Evolutionary and Theological Perspectives

1:30-2:45 Invited Speakers

McKenna Auditorium: Christians and Aliens: Making Movies in a Culture of Death

3:15-4:30 Colloquium Sessions

McKenna Auditorium: Secularism and American Law

McKenna 212: Biology and the Roots of Human Dignity

McKenna 202: Secularism and Sexual Ethics

Saturday, November 12

9:00-10:15 Panel Discussions

McKenna 210-214: Defending the Sanctity of Life

This Week is Sexual Violence Awareness Week

2011-10-31T16:36:00.003-04:00

This week is Sexual Violence Awareness Week, sponsored by the Notre Dame Gender Relations Center. Click here to visit their website. Events this week include:

10/29-30

Petitions and Prayer Cards at Campus Masses

10/31

Free T-Shirt Giveaways; 10:15-11am; DeBartolo Hall (north door) and Fieldhouse Mall

11/1

Mass of Healing; 10pm; Sorin Hall Chapel
“Teal Out Tuesday”;wear the t-shirts, buttons or ribbons
Resource Tables: La Fortune, Dining Halls, Joyce Center

11/2

Men Against Violence (MAV) Pledge Campaign
PILLARS present: “49 ½ First Dates”; 8pm; LaFortune

11/3

A Time to Heal Dinner; 6-8pm; Club Naimoli; RSVP at grc.nd.edu

10/29-11/5

Student Government Solidarity Displays (by residence hall)
Committee on Sexual Assault Prevention (CSAP) Posters

Questions about events can be directed to the Gender Relations Center.

ND Right to Life Acquires a New URL

2011-10-28T00:52:00.003-04:00

The Right to Life website can now be reached by visiting: chooselife.nd.edu

The original URL is still active (nd.edu/~prolife), but this address is a new location to reach our website.

RTL Concessions at USC Game

2011-10-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

Come visit our Concession Stand for the USC game! We will be on Fieldhouse Mall noon-7pm, selling food, drinks, and Right to Life apparel. If you are a student and would like to volunteer to help work concessions, email prolife@nd.edu

Sign up to receive Footprints, our official newsletter

2011-10-15T12:31:00.003-04:00

To sign up, click here

To view our past newsletters, click here

Footprints issue II is now available!

2011-10-11T23:35:00.002-04:00

Issue II of Footprints, Notre Dame Right to Life's newsletter, is now available. You may view it by visiting: http://www.nd.edu/%7Eprolife/footprints/Footprints_V_02.pdf.

Sale Raises Over $1100 for Hannah's House

2011-10-09T13:18:00.002-04:00

Cupcakes for Life, a cupcake sale held as a part of Respect Life Week, raised more than $1100 for Hannah's House. Eleven dorms baked about 1300 cupcakes for the sale, and about 25 students volunteered to sell the day of the event that took place on Friday, October 7. Notre Dame Right to Life would like to thank Amanda Bambury, head coordinator of the event, and all of the many volunteers who helped to make this event so successful!

For more information about cupcakes for life, visit:
CupcakesForLife.org

For information on Hannah's House, visit:
MaternityHomeWithAHeart.org

2012 March for Life Registration Now Open!

2011-10-08T11:56:00.002-04:00

Registration is now open for the 2012 March for Life. Click here for more information.

Prices and trips:

Long Trip (1/20-1/23):
-Cash/Check* $65
-Student Shop** $70
Short Trip (1/22-1/23)
-Cash/Check* $50
-Student Shop** $55

*Cash/Check can be placed in an envelope under the door of the Right to Life office (305 LaFortune) or mailed through campus mail to 220 Morrissey Hall. Please include your name and email in a note with your money. Checks payable to: ND Right to Life.

**Student Shop payments will be available soon. You will receive an email notification if you register for this payment method.

The long trip will leave Friday evening (1/20). The short trip will leave Sunday (1/22). Both trips will be returning Monday (1/23). Students will miss class on Monday but will receive a University-excused absence for all missed classes.

For more information, email Mike McHale (mmchale1@nd.edu) or Alfredo Guzman-Dominguez (aguzmand@nd.edu).

Pray with us for Right to Life's Adopted Unborn and their families

2011-10-07T15:03:00.003-04:00

At the 20th annual Life is Precious Dinner, ND Right to Life representatives received the names of eight children aborted in the last year. We invite you to pray with us for the souls and families of: Damarius, Dante, Devin, Daniel, Darian, and Deandre, aborted March 19, 2010; DeAngelo, aborted March 23, 2010; and Jackson, aborted April 20, 2010.

Right to Life Officers Respond to Gary Caruso Article

2011-10-06T01:11:00.002-04:00

On September 30 The Observer published a guest column by Gary Caruso, Notre Dame '73, titled "The government's not-so-insensible 'conscience clause.'" It may be found at:
The government's not-so-insensible "conscience clause"

Two days later, the officers of Notre Dame Right to Life composed a letter in response. It may be found at:
Contraception and Conscience

An abridged response was published in the Observer on October 6:
Contraception and Conscience, Abridged

RTL Website Gets a New Look

2011-10-05T16:45:00.001-04:00

Go to www.nd.edu/~prolife to check it out!

Check out our Newsletter!

2011-10-05T14:46:00.004-04:00

Be sure to check out Footprints, the official newsletter of Notre Dame Right to Life. It includes information on recent events, club news, and upcoming activities. Our last issue can be found at: https://sites.google.com/a/nd.edu/prolifend/newsletter

Registration is now open for the Cardinal O'Connor 2012 Conference on Life!

2011-10-05T14:17:00.002-04:00

Registration is now open for the 2012 Cardinal O'Connor Conference for Life in Washington, DC, Saturday, January 22, 2012 at Georgetown University.

Speakers include:

Keynote Speaker:
Most. Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap, Archbishop of Philadelphia

Rev. Stephen Fields, S.J.: (Georgetown University) Abortion and the Natural Law: Exploring the Concept of Intrinsic Moral Evil
William V. Blazek SJ, MD, FACP (Georgetown University)
Dr. John Keown (Rose F. Kennedy Chair of Christian Ethics) History of Pro-Life Law
Dr. Brian Clowes (Human Life International)
Mr. Steven Mosher (President of Population Research Institute)
Ms. Jessica O’Connor-Petts (Feminists for Life) Adoption and the Pro-Life Movement
Mrs. Vicki Thorn (Founder of Project Rachel) Science of the Theology of the Body
Fr. Francis “Rocky” Hoffman (Relevant Radio) Media and the Pro-Life Movement

For more information, and to register visit: http://cardinaloconnorconference.com/2012-conference

Today's Events for Respect Life Week

2011-10-05T12:05:00.002-04:00

Screening of "Thine Eyes"

Wed, October 5, 7pm – 9pm
Where
Geddes Hall Auditorium
Description
The Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life will host a screening of "Thine Eyes," a film about the Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., in advance of sign-ups for the March through the Right to Life Club.

Contact: Angela M. Pfister, J.D.
Associate Director, Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture
pfister.5@nd.edu

Cemetary of the Innocents Set-Up

When
Wed, October 5, 9pm – Thu, October 6, 12am
Where
South Quad Flagpole
Description
Cemetery of the Holy Innocents setup: We will be meeting at the flagpole to set up the cemetery on South Quad on Wednesday Oct. 5 at 9pm. It usually takes several hours to set up the cemetery, but you can always just come for as long as you are able. Bring a hammer with you if you have one to hammer the crosses into the ground.

Respect Life Week 2011

2011-10-05T12:01:00.002-04:00

Respect Life Week is happening now! Visit nd.edu/~prolife for information on events this week!

2010 Collegiate Conference

2010-03-03T14:56:00.003-05:00

Join us for the our 2010 Collegiate Conference Friday-Saturday, April 9th-10th. Registration is now open and is FREE for ND/SMC/HCC students. There is a $10 fee for non ND/SMC/HCC students. For more information and registration please visit our Collegiate Conference page (http://nd.edu/~prolife/conference/).

Final Meeting of the Semester!

2009-04-08T13:45:00.002-04:00

Please join us 8pm Wednesday, 8 April, in the Montgomery Auditorium of LaFortune. We will be electing next year's officers and will be joined by Professor Charles Rice, who will be talking about life issues in the context of the university. Trust me, you don't want to miss Dr. Rice! Please join us for the final meeting of the '08-'09 school year.

Conference 2009 - Please register!

2009-03-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

Our annual conference is this Friday and Saturday (March 27-28th), and we need to know how many people are coming! Registration is easy and free. Just click on "Conference" in the sidebar or go to http://nd.edu/~prolife/conference/ -- be sure to check out the schedule while you're there. Registration helps us to have enough food and info packets for everyone, but please come even if you haven't registered.

March Meeting! 7:30pm, 126 DeBartolo

2009-02-26T23:18:00.003-05:00

It's that time again! Wednesday, March 4th (7:30pm in 126 DeBartolo) we will be going over some important items (including officer elections and the conference) and enjoying an exciting speaker, Angela Franks, speaking on "Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood: The Eugenics Connection. The talk begins at 8pm. Mass will be held later this month.

Wanted: March for Life photos

2009-02-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

We want to show the world what it was like to be at the march, among hundreds of thousands of people supporting the right to life. Do you have photos you'd like us to post on our website? Send them to our webmaster at little.26@nd.edu. Thank you!

Conference 2009!

2009-02-03T23:14:00.002-05:00

March 27-28th--mark your calendars! This year's collegiate conference features a dynamic array of speakers, from Rachel Davis (standupgirl.com) to Chris Godfrey (Life Athletes). Come listen, learn, and discuss with students and others from around the country. Sign up now at http://nd.edu/~prolife/conference/

February Meeting TUESDAY! pizza!

2009-02-03T23:09:00.003-05:00

Our next club meeting will be Tuesday, 10 February, at 7:30pm in the CoMo lounge. Reports indicate that there will be "mountains" of pizza. Pizza hikers, climbers, and spelunkers welcome. As far as who the speaker will be, that's so secret even the webmaster doesn't know. Our monthly Mass will occur at a later date. (Note: Aside from this month, meetings will continue to be on Wednesday nights.)

Christmas Dance!

2008-12-03T01:30:00.002-05:00

WHERE: Right to Life Christmas Dance! WHY: Because when else can you dress up like your favorite Christmas Carol? WHEN: 9pm to midnight Friday (12/05). WHERE: Knights of Columbus basement.

December Meeting

2008-12-02T23:43:00.002-05:00

Want a break from end-of-the year projects and studying? Why not spend it with your favourite pro-lifers? Our final meeting of the year is 8pm in the Montgomery Auditorium (LaFortune), followed by 9:30 Mass in the Log Chapel. I hope to see you there!

Please sign the petition to fight the "Freedom of Choice" Act!

2008-11-12T13:37:00.002-05:00

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would end virtually all restrictions on abortion nationally and even overturn laws protecting doctors and hospitals from being forced to provide abortions. President-elect Obama has promised that his first action as president will be signing this act. Please sign the Fight FOCA petition (http://www.fightfoca.com/) to help send a message to Washington!

Roundtable Discussion #2: Pure Manhood and Pure Womanhood

2008-11-01T23:07:00.002-04:00

Come join in another great discussion with Nathan and Megan! We'll start our discussion with excerpts from the books Pure Manhood and Pure Womanhood by the Everetts... and Pizza. 7pm Thursday, 6 November; Keough 24-hour lounge.

November Meeting!

2008-11-01T23:05:00.003-04:00

Join us for our next meeting 8pm Wednesday, 5 November in the Montgomery Auditorium. At 8:30 we will be joined by Dr. Paolo Carozza from the law school. Mass will follow at 9:30 in the Log Chapel (behind Bond hall).

First Rountable Discussion - Sexuality and the Media

2008-09-25T14:22:00.000-04:00

Today (Thursday, 9/25) from 7pm to 8pm, Nathan and Megan are hosting the semester's first Roundtable Discussion in the Keough 24-hour lounge. There will be free food (BW3's)! We will be discussing the media and the expectations (or lack thereof) that they have for our generation regarding sexuality and self control.

First Meeting of the Year!

2008-09-09T13:21:00.002-04:00

Come meet ND Right to Life! Please join us for our first meeting of the '08-'09 school year. We'll tell you all about this year's activities and events and how you can join us in saving babies, helping moms, and making friends. WHEN: 8pm Wednesday (9/10). WHERE: Study lounge on the first floor of CoMo (Coleman-Morse).

Welcome Back!!!

2008-09-02T17:31:00.003-04:00

Whether you're a Right-to-Life veteran, new to the club, or new to college, we hope you had a great summer and are ready to tackle another year of remarkable pro-life events and activities. Want to be added to our mailing list? Contact us at prolife@nd.edu. Want to see our upcoming meeting and event schedule? Just scroll down. Want to find out how you can get involved? Click on any of the links in the sidebar of our website (and be sure to come to our first meeting: 10 September, 8pm, location TBA).

Have a great summer!

2008-06-02T13:11:00.003-04:00

Check back in the Fall for information on meetings and activities.

Annoucements from February Meeting

2008-02-07T12:04:00.000-05:00

Announcements for February 7:

Theology of the Body - starts today!
Rosary - Fridays, noon & 3:30
RTL story on ND Homepage!
3rd Annual Conference, April 11-12
Edith Stein Conference, March 28-29
Join the Leadership Team!__________________________________________________________

TODAY, 6:15pm, Pasta Room, North Dining Hall

Our THEOLOGY of the BODY Group is finally meeting again!

Today will just be casual conversation over dinner to find out what people areinterested in discussing this semester. Please join us!
The group plans to meet at this time every(other?) week if it works for most ofthe interested people. No commitment needed - just come when you can!__________________________________________________________

ROSARY @ the Clinic now has 2 scheduled times this semester!
Meet at Main Circle, Fridays, Noon & 3:30pm!__________________________________________________________

Visit the UNIVERSITY HOMEPAGE right now to read a story on the MARCH FOR LIFE!www.nd.edu
__________________________________________________________

Mark your calendars now for the 3rd Annual CONFERENCE!

Friday & Saturday, April 11-12
Invited speakers are:
Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand
Dr. Eugene Diamond
Phyllis Schlafly
Dolores Meehan
Rebecca Keissling

Be sure to spread the word to your friends around campus and at otheruniversities!
__________________________________________________________

Don't forget the EDITH STEIN CONFERENCE!!
March 28-29

For more info: http://nd.edu/~idnd/edithstein/2008.html
__________________________________________________________

Want to join the Right to Life Leadership Team next year?
Email Mary Liz formore information (prolife@nd.edu)__________________________________________________________

A March to Remember: ND Right to Life Goes to the White House

2008-02-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

A March to Remember: ND Right to Life Goes to the White House
By: Julie Hail Flory
Date: February 5, 2008
University of Notre Dame Newswire
Source

It’s a yearly trip Mary Elizabeth Walter has made for most of her life. Growing up just outside of Baltimore, the Notre Dame senior joined in many family outings to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life, an event that draws some 200,000 people to the nation’s capital each year to rally for legal protection for the unborn.

Now in her second year as president of Notre Dame Right to Life, she has kept the tradition alive throughout her college career, traveling by bus to Capitol Hill each January with a group of students to participate in the march.

But this year was a little different.

“It was kind of a surprise,” Walter says of the day, about two weeks before the trip, when she learned that this would be no ordinary march experience.

The woman who coordinates the group’s stay in Washington had contacted some friends of hers – who happen to work at the White House – and arranged an opportunity of a lifetime. She wanted to know, would the students be interested in meeting a certain commander-in-chief?

“And, of course, we said ‘yes,’” Walter recalls.

It was Bill McGurn, a 1980 Notre Dame graduate and chief speechwriter to President Bush, and his wife, Julie, who set up the presidential visit for 25 members of the Notre Dame contingent, who first enjoyed breakfast at the White House.

“It was incredible,” Walter says of the experience, which she found especially significant as a history major. “We ate in the Red and Blue and Green Rooms, and those rooms are usually museum space, but there we were, eating breakfast while sitting on the couch that Dolly Madison sat on.”

The group then joined a small crowd of about 200, including about 50 students from nearby Christendom College, in the East Room for an up-close and personal address by the president, who shared his admiration for their commitment to the cause. “I see people with a deep conviction that even the most vulnerable member of the human family is a child of God,” President Bush said. “You're here because you know that all life deserves to be protected. And as you begin your march, I'm proud to be standing with you.”

Held each year to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that required the legalization of abortion, the March for Life’s mission is to urge the adoption of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to overturn the decision.

The yearly Notre Dame trip is about more than just the march itself. Participants spend time exploring Washington and learning about the history and ideology of the pro-life movement.

“We try to set aside a day to explore the religious sites around D.C. – the National Shrine, the Franciscan monastery – all the sites that remind us why as Catholics, and as Christians, we believe in the right to life,” Walter said. “Then we take another day to explore the secular side; to try to understand why we as Americans, as humans, believe that we have the right to life.”

For the first time this year, the group also spent a day volunteering at various locations around the city.

But not too surprisingly, the highlight most certainly was the audience with the president, who left the crowd with some parting words of encouragement.

“As you give voice to the voiceless, I ask you to take comfort from this: The hearts of the American people are good,” he said.

Walter plans to continue attending the march, even after graduation. But she knows this year’s trip will be hard to top.

“Will we be disappointed that we don’t get to go the White House? Well, we’ll miss it,” she admits, even though future trips certainly won’t be lacking with the week of activities.

“It’s not everyday that the president says thank you and then shakes your hand and says, ‘Go Irish!’”

February Meeting

2008-01-31T12:06:00.000-05:00

Please join us for the first meeting of the semester, Wednesday, February 6 at 8pm in the Montgomery Auditorium! Come learn about this semester's events and share ideas. Mass will follow at 9:30 in the Log Chapel.

Embrace Life

2008-01-23T14:11:00.000-05:00

Embrace life

The Observer: Viewpoint
By: Charles Rice

Posted: 1/23/08

Would you call it an exercise in futility? On Jan. 22, Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students joined the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., calling for reversal of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling on that date in 1973 which mandated, in effect, elective abortion at every stage in pregnancy. The Court defined the unborn child as a nonperson who is therefore not entitled to the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution to persons.

The Supreme Court will not reverse that holding of Roe. Even the Justices who say that Roe should be "overruled" define that as a "states' rights" approach that would allow the states to permit or forbid abortion. That would affirm the holding of Roe. If your life is subject to extinction whenever a state legislature so decrees, then, so far as the United States Constitution is concerned, you are a nonperson.

Depersonalization is the theory of the Nazis' treatment of the Jews and of the Supreme Court's 1857 Dred Scott case in which the Court held that freed slaves could not be citizens and said that slaves were property rather than persons.

Abortion is not simply a legal issue. It is embedded in American culture. The Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that from 1973 to 2005, more than 45 million surgical abortions occurred in the United States, with 1.21 million in 2005, down from 1.31 in 2000. Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion. These figures do not include the uncountable number of early abortions by abortifacients, including most "contraceptive" pills.

Abortion is a symptom of what Pope Benedict XVI called "a dictatorship of relativism… that recognizes nothing as absolute and which only leaves the 'I' and its whims as the ultimate measure." The secularism, relativism and individualism of that culture affect the most fundamental human activity, the generation of life.

Abortion is a product of the contraceptive ethic. "[D]espite their differences," said John Paul II, "contraception and abortion are often closely connected, as fruits of the same tree…. rooted in a hedonistic mentality unwilling to accept responsibility in matters of sexuality, and … a self-centered concept of freedom, which regards procreation as an obstacle to personal fulfillment."

Until the Anglican Lambeth Conference of 1930, no Christian denomination had ever said that contraception could ever be objectively right. Contraception deliberately separates sex from procreation. It affirms that there is such a thing as a life not worth living, and that man (of both sexes), rather than God, is the arbiter of whether and when human life shall begin. If you claim the right to decide when life begins you will predictably claim the right to decide when it ends, as in abortion and euthanasia.

With the marketing of the pill in the 1960s, Roe v. Wade was inevitable. A contraceptive culture needs abortion as a back-up. The meltdown of that culture is accelerating.

Francis Fukuyama called the introduction of the contraceptive pill "The Great Disruption" in relations between men and women. In the nature of things, sex is reserved for marriage, and marriage is permanent, because sex has something to do with babies. The contraceptive separation of sex from life leads to the separation of sex from marriage and to the irrelevancy of marriage. In 2006, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control, a record 36.9 percent of all births were out of wedlock. Out-of-wedlock births are 80 percent of births to teens and 60 percent to mothers in their early 20s. In 2006, they were 26.6 percent among non-Hispanic whites, 70.7 percent among non-Hispanic blacks and 49.9 percent among Hispanics.

Government officials, including educators, throw fuel on the fire by promoting contraception even among pre-teens. Not surprisingly, the birth rate to teens rose three percent in 2006, the first rise since 1991. Cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis, the STDs for which reporting is required, continue to rise.

In such a Copulation Explosion, you have to expect a rise in pregnancies and that many will end in abortion. The "morning-after pill," an abortifacient, is available over-the-counter and is easily, if illegally, obtainable by minors without parental knowledge.

Neither the law nor politics can get us out of this mess. Contraception and abortion are a subset of the question: Who is God? Who decides whether and when life begins and when it ends? Abortion is an aspect of our contraceptive rejection of God's gift of life. Before he became Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said, "[T]he ultimate root of hatred for human life… is the loss of God. When God disappears, the absolute dignity of human life disappears as well…. Only this divine dimension guarantees the full dignity of the human person…. In the struggle for life, talking about God is indispensable."

The March for Life is not a futile exercise. It focuses on abortion, the ultimate secular sacrament. The March is an in-your-face, on-site reminder to the Executive, the Court and the Congress of their derelictions and of what they ought to do. Under the leadership of Washington attorney Nellie Gray, the March, from its inception, has also been an act of prayer. The message: Human life is sacred because it is a gift of God. The students in the March bring honor to the Notre Dame community.

Professor Emeritus Rice is on the faculty of the law school.
He can be reached at (574) 633-4415 or rice.1@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

© Copyright 2008 The Observer

Club joins March for Life

2008-01-22T14:05:00.000-05:00

Club joins March for Life
Right to Life travels to Washington, D.C. to protest legalized abortion

The Observer: Frontpage
By: Marcela Berrios

Posted: 1/22/08
More than 230 students from Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross have made the 12-hour bus trip to Washington, D.C. to join thousands of other pro-life advocates at the March for Life on Tuesday.

The march is an annual demonstration against Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in 1973.

The Notre Dame Right to Life Club offered students three travel options, ranging in length from 36 hours to four days. Students on the two longer trips participated in service projects and mini pro-life conferences as a prelude to the march.

"So far everybody seems to really be enjoying themselves," Right to Life president Mary Liz Walter said Monday night. "And tomorrow should be even better. I think for most it'll be such a powerful experience to be in the heart of the nation's capital next to hundreds of thousands of other people, all united for one cause."

More than 200,000 people attended last year, according to the Right for Life Web site.

In addition to a 27 percent increase in the number of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross participants, Walter said there are about 30 students from Purdue University who registered to attend through Right to Life. She said the club's travel options were affordable and convenient for many college students.

Tuesday's itinerary will include attending a youth Mass, rallying at Capitol Mall and finally marching from the Mall to the Supreme Court building, the Notre Dame Right to Life Web site said.

"Hopefully this will be an opportunity for everyone to be in solidarity with other people who are also fighting for the dignity and the respect for human life in all of its stages," Walter said.Notre Dame students traveling to Washington, D.C. for the march have been excused from classes by the Office of Residence Life and Housing because the march represents an integral part of Right to Life's mission, Associate Vice President for Residence Life Bill Kirk said Monday.

"Right to Life is a recognized student organization and like many other student organizations with national conferences and events that are critical to their underlying purpose, they were granted excused absences to be able to participate in the march," Kirk said.

The decision to allow these students to miss their classes, he said, is in accordance with the absence policy outlined in duLac, which says members of groups that officially represent Notre Dame may receive excused absences when they are away from campus performing duties for the University. Like many students involved in varsity or club athletic events, mock trials, choir tours, honorary society national conventions and student union board national conferences, among other events, participants of the Right for Life March were eligible for an excused absence from their classes through Kirk's office.

"This is not the first year that excused absences have been granted for participants in the Right to Life March," Kirk said. "Our office only maintains class absence records for the immediately previous year, so I am unable to say with certainty for how many years excused absences have been provided, but I do recall excused absences being granted for at least the last several years," he said.

Last year, about 120 students took advantage of this option and filled three Right to Life charter buses to Washington, D.C. This year, as the number of participants surpassed 100, Kirk was "delighted" to approve their absence from class.

He said he hopes these students will be "a very visible sign" of the University's commitment to its Catholic mission.

"I can think of few better ways to do so than through this march," Kirk said.

The students on the four-day trip, which came with a price tag of $85 per person, have been lodged at the St. Agnes Parish in Arlington, Va. since Saturday morning. The second batch of students, who paid $75 to cover the cost of transportation and some food at the parish, arrived one day later. The third and final group, which contributed $50 per person to cover the cost of the buses, arrived this morning after an overnight drive.

But for many students, spending the night on a bus is a minor inconvenience for a chance to make their voices heard.

Senior Ana Laura Virzi said she just wants to protest abortion on behalf of "all the unborn souls that didn't have the opportunity to protest themselves."From the bus carrying the third group to Washington, D.C., she said that though she is a Panamanian citizen, she thinks it's important to make a difference in the United States - a country that may well serve as an example for other countries in Latin America and the world on the abortion issue.

© Copyright 2008 The Observer

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Road of Bittersweet

2007-12-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

Amy Welborn posted this beautiful link today.

She writes:

The little boy featured in this video with his loving family died 11 minutes after he was born, last week. The parents had received a diagnosis of anencephaly earlier in the pregnancy, were advised to abort, but made the decision to accept the “counsel and wisdom of the Church and bring him to full term” (from a letter accompanying the video). This video was played at his funeral. Beautiful and profoundly life-affirming.

Be Not Afraid is a website dedicated to supporting, in life-affirming ways, parents and families who receive a poor or difficult prenatal diagnosis for their child. Take a look and keep it in mind - someone you know might need it someday.

A step in the wrong direction

2007-12-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, December 4, 2007, I picked up a copy of The Observer, ND's student newpaper, as I was walking out of Flanner Hall following my college seminar, "Perfect God, Imperfect World: The Problem of Evil," and I was stopped dead in my tracks by a head line that I never thought I would read: Contraceptives Available for Medical Needs. I was in utter and complete shock at reading this, mind-blown really, how did this happen?!
Yes, the article did say that Health Services will be only administering contraceptive prescriptions for patients with irregular or painful menstrual cycles, no menstrual cycle or abdominal pain. However, I do not think that even extreme situations such as these necessitate that Health Services have contraceptives readily available to the double-X student population. Why? Well, my reasons are multi-fold and i would be more than happy to tell you.
[1] Although contraception may offer the best or easiest treatment for these medical conditions, there are other, good quality treatments available that Health Services can offer to student-patients. These could be offered as a "first try," and if these don't work, well then Health Services can refer students off-campus.
[2] The medical resources in South Bend are of high quality and quanitity. If a young, ND female student is needing treatment, then she should have no problem in traveling a whole mile and a half off campus to a medical facility for consultation. And I would have no problem with Health Services having medical referrances available for these students.
[3] With contraception being so closely tied with the abortion industry, which is wrought with dishonesty and deceit, I do not find it much a stretch to believe that those doctors and patients respectively prescribing and being prescribed contraception will have no problem faining an excuse for "medically-necessary" contraception. I know that this sounds a little like conspiracy theory, but I find it hard to believe that doctors wouldn't have any qualms about prescribing contraception for contraceptive purposes, with the claim of it being for legitimate health needs.
[4] Notre Dame, as a prestigious institute in the world of academia, should stand as a beacon of Catholicism in a world where most prestigious universities have succumbed to most pressures and demands of secular society. We should not sacrifice or undermine our Catholic Identity and Character when society can only benefit from our remaining strong in the face of adversity.

Notre Dame has so much potential and its students have exponential potential as well, but we must make sure that we [Notre Dame] take every mean possible to make sure that this potential is realized only through means that benefit the student bodily, spiritually, intellectually, and ethically.

http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/12/04/News/Contraceptives.Available.For.Medical.Needs-3130689.shtml

Project Mom ends soon!

2007-11-29T16:26:00.000-05:00

We're throwing a huge baby shower on December 8 and we need your help! Over one third of all babies born in St. Joe County last year had a mother who was a client of the Women’s Care Center in Northern Indiana. Project Mom is in its fourth year of having a baby shower for about 25 of these women. We plan on giving each mother-to-be a gift full of all of the things that she will need during her pregnancy and the first few months of her baby’s life.

Please consider making a donation of either mom/baby items or money, which will be used to buy the gifts for each mom. Not only is this a really great way to get into the holiday spirit, but by doing so, you will be helping women and children who live right here is South Bend. (more info)

A Father's Story of Forgiveness

2007-11-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

"Vengeance Solves No Problems - A Father's Story of Forgiveness"
Wednesday, 11/07, 8:30pm
Montgomery Auditorium
--
Bud Welch, the father of a young woman killed in the Oklahoma City Bombing, will speak to us about his loss, the death penalty and forgiveness.
--
This will follow our 8PM MONTHLY MEETING in the Montgomery Auditorium.

Respect Life Week

2007-09-30T13:29:00.000-04:00

This week, October 1-7, is Respect Life Week – dedicated to increase of respect and understanding of the dignity and value of all human life from conception until natural death.

Notre Dame observes this week along with other universities and organizations – particularly National Respect Life Sunday, October 7.

The events for this year are listed below. All are welcome and encouraged to attend and join in the discussion of life issues.

MONDAY
7:00pm 331 Colman Morse Center
Round Table Discussion on Life Issues
Participants include: Human Rights ND, ND ASK, Peace Fellowship

TUESDAY
All are invited to wear prolife or green shirts this day

9:00am; 9:00pm Sorin Statue, South Quad
Rosary

3:00pm Grotto
Divine Mercy Chaplet

7:00pm Coleman-Morse Chapel
Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration

WEDNESDAY

8:00pm Montgomery Auditorium, LaFortune
Right to Life club meeting

8:30pm Montgomery Auditorium, LaFortune
Lecture, Prof Charles Rice, Law School

9:30pm Log Chapel
Mass

THURSDAY

7:30pm 155 DeBartolo
Lecture, "Fight for the Soul of a Country"
Dawn Parkot, ND '95 '00 - First Domer with multiple disabilities

FRIDAY

6:30pm CSC Coffeehouse
Theology of the Body 101
Discussion led by Prof. Adrian Reimers, Theology

SUNDAY – Respect Life Sunday

Observed at Masses and prayer cards distributed across campus

This week is sponsored by ND Right to Life, Campus Ministry and the Center for Ethics and Culture with the support and participation of a number other groups

For more information email prolife@nd.edu

Fr. Eduardo Chavez Lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe

2007-09-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

TONIGHT!
September 24, 7:30pm
Hesburgh Library Auditorium
Fr. Eduardo Chavez Lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe

In honor of the 475th anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
the Knights of Columbus is sponsoring Fr. Chavez on a national lecture tour
entitled "Our Lady of Guadalupe: The Woman who Changed the Hemisphere."
Since Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn, we encourage all our
members to attend this great event!

For more information visit the Knights

Richard Dieter - Death Penalty Lecture

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

THURSDAY, September 20, 7:00PM

Hesburgh Center Auditorium

Death Penalty in the U.S. - Present and Future
Richard Dieter, Executive Director Death Penalty Information Center

Sponsored by ND ASK & Campus Ministry

Richard Dieter, ND alum, attorney, and Adjunct Professor of Law at Catholic
University, will address the issues surrounding America's death penalty and
offer his thoughts and research on the future of capital punishment in our
nation.

Read more on the ND ASK blog

Conversation in Farley

2007-09-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

Campus Outreach Commissioner David will be leading the first of a series of informal discussion/debate in the dorms this week. We hope that the familiar dorm setting will encourage people to attend and feel more at ease discussing and questioning the beliefs we uphold here at Notre Dame Right to Life

All are welcome!

Details:
Tuesday, September 18
8:00pm
Farley Hall Basement

Thanks for Rosary

2007-09-15T15:48:00.000-04:00

Dear Right to Life Members,

I just wanted to express my appreciation to all those who prayed the Rosary at the Grotto on Friday for the intention of the new Planned Parenthood in Aurora, IL, not opening. I know Bishop Doran would also be very appreciative of your efforts. May God continue to bless you and help you promote a culture of life and end the culture of death.

In Christ and Notre Dame,
Joseph F. Jaskierny
Seminarian, Diocese of Rockford

Rosary against PP

2007-09-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

Dear RTL friends,

It's been dubbed the "Abortion Fortress", and it sounds like something out ofsome campy pulp fiction book, except it's actually true:

In the last few months, Planned Parenthood has pulled some sort ofprobably-illegal stealth operation, has bought land under a FAKE NAME, and thenbuilt a huge 'clinic' there. ...'Clinic,' as in bulletproof windows, high brickwalls, tons of security cameras, and, it seems, INDOOR PARKING so that motherswon't be able to listen to any possible pro-lifers outside trying to convincethem not to abort.

The fact that Planned Parenthood was so secretive about all this should tell yousomething .... Honestly, the whole thing sounds really creepy. It's set toopen in four days.

The Bishop of Rockford, IL, Bishop Doran, has asked that this Friday the 14th bea day of "prayer and penance" for an end to abortion, and ESPECIALLY to stop theimminent opening of this huge new Planned Parenthood center that will no doubtresult in thousands of deaths and shattered lives.

Therefore, RTL will pray a ROSARY at 3 PM at the GROTTO, for this intention.Please also offer up all of your sacrifices tomorrow for the sake of stoppingthis new Planned Parenthood scheme.

Thanks to Philip for the heads-up; also, here's one of the many links to the story:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/550932,2_1_AU11_CLINIC_S1.article
Please all keep this in your prayers.

Will
Spiritual Commissioner

Welcome Back!

2007-09-07T00:54:00.001-04:00

We hope you've had a wonderful summer and are ready for another semester of pro-life efforts. A special welcome to all freshmen and other students joining us for the first time!