vol. 5, issue 4
Footprints: Notre Dame Right to Life
FOOTPRINTS The 2012 March for Life NDRTL sends 350 members to attend the 2012 March for Life in Washington, DC
Issue 4, 1 FEB 2012
The officers of NDRTL respond to recent campus discussion on artificial contraception, on page 2
2 Students attend the Students for Life of America Conference, by Kellie Raddell, ND ’13, on page 4.
4 Angela Bermudez, ND ’13, writes on the 13th annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life, page 4.
4 NDRTL organizes a first-time meeting for presidents of undergraduate prolife clubs. Page 4
5 by Christopher Damian, ‘13 On Friday, January 20, 2012, five buses departed from the Hammes bookstore to attend the 2012 March for Life in Washington DC.
These buses traveled more than fifteen hours to attend the March. Over the weekend of the March, students stayed at St. Agnes parish in Arlington, VA and attended the Continued on the next page
“Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work.” Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia
Reflections from the 2012 March for Life that response. "This was my fourth trip to DC for the “The reason we go to DC is to speak out March for Life (my third with ND RTL). In against the culture of death in this country. Is previous years, after returning, I would respond that really an event that I should return from along the lines of, 'Great! There were a lot of people at the March and I had a good time in DC.' feeling like I 'had a great time?' Is it ok for me to and think no more of it when asked how the trip spend a day exploring monuments and museums Continued on page 6 in addition to went. But this year, I began to feel uneasy with
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Students for Life of America Conference, the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life, the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the national Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the Mass for the Diocese of Fort-Wayne South Bend in St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Three additional buses arrived in DC Monday morning. That afternoon, nearly 350 members of Notre Dame Right to Life marched from the National Mall to the Supreme Court, where they sang Notre
vol. 5, issue 4 Dame’s Alma Mater as a hymn for the unborn. Nearly twenty faculty and staff joined Notre Dame Right to Life, including University President Rev. John Jenkins, Angela Pfister of the ND Center for Ethics and Culture, Dean Peter Kilpatrick of Notre Dame’s Engineering College, John O’Callaghan of the philosophy department, and history professor and Right to Life chaplain Rev. Wilson D. Miscamble. Students left DC Monday evening and returned to Notre Dame early Tuesday morning.
Contraception Contrary to Human Dignity: In lieu of recent campus discussion on artificial contraception, the officers of NDRTL offer response In seeking to promote life, we, the officers of Notre Dame Right to Life, would like to articulate and defend the Catholic Church’s clear and unchanging rejection of artificial contraception. Although the use of some hormonal contraceptives for medical purposes may be legitimate, a woman seeking to sterilize herself in order to be sexually available to any man, whether husband or boyfriend, is in direct opposition to her body’s dignity in the biological, anthropological, and moral realms. Indeed, “The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2399). Recourse to moral means, such as Natural Family Planning, preserves the unitive and procreative aspects of the sexual act. They are not rendered impossible by these means. Rather than refusing the meaning of her body, Natural Family Planning and similar means seek to understand the woman’s body and to work within that understanding, while still preserving her body’s power for unity and procreation. Without the procreative and unitive aspects the sexual act cannot be
complete. The sexual act is stripped of its meaning, and man and woman fail to give themselves to each other in complete love. Utilizing artificial contraception as a practical means to prevent an unintended pregnancy does not teach a woman to be responsible. It teaches her to refuse one of the most significant powers of her body: the power to bring forth life. It prepares her to dehumanize herself and to use and be used by another human being. It teaches her to reject her body as a locus of significant power and meaning. While removing the sexual act from the confines of marriage demoralizes the act’s consummation of marriage vows, artificial contraception only furthers the damage done to the dignity of man and woman. The Catechism states: “‘Every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible’ is intrinsically evil: Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively Continued on the next page
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A woman’s choice to sterilize herself is a condemnation of the contradictory language, namely, dignity of her body and its that of not giving oneself totally moral meaning. Through acts of to the other. This leads not only sterilization, including to a positive refusal to be open to contraception, a woman chooses life but also to a falsification of to be less than who she is. the inner truth of conjugal love, Therefore, institutions that seek which is called upon to give to promote the good of itself in personal totality… The humanity have a responsibility difference, both anthropological to condemn and oppose sexual and moral, between activity that is contrary to the contraception and recourse to dignity of the human person. the rhythm of the cycle… The Catholic Church is one of involves in the final analysis two these institutions, and, as a irreconcilable concepts of the Catholic university, Notre Dame human person and of human is as well. We, the officers of sexuality (2730).” Notre Dame Right to Life, Further, artificial defend it. contraception enables men to blame or abandon women if they Samantha Stempky, President should become pregnant while Junior, Lewis Hall using artificial contraception. According to the Guttmacher Andrew Lynch, Vice President Institute, nearly 50% of Junior, Morrissey Manor unintended pregnancies occur Jason Taulman, Vice President with women on some form of artificial contraception. Through Junior, O’Neill Hall artificial contraception, the Peter Flores, Secretary unborn lives that are created are Junior, Off Campus viewed merely as the results of failed medication. A child Amanda Bambury, Secretary becomes an ‘accident,’ rather Soph., Pasquerilla East Hall than a ‘gift.’ This philosophically Maria Hernandez, Treasurer and psychologically prepares women and society for abortion. Junior, Regina Hall “Fifty-four percent of women Jennifer Gallic, Treasurer who have abortions had used a Sophomore, Walsh Hall contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant” Marcy Kriemier, Development (Guttmacher Institute). Abortion, Junior, Welsh Family Hall rather than separate from Matt Povlock, Development artificial contraception, is a Junior, Stanford Hall natural result of it. Artificial contraception is neither a “right” nor healthcare. Chris Damian, Information Junior, Off Campus
Notre Dame right to life Mission Statement The purpose of our organization is to promote and uphold the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death through prayer, service, and education, and to help women in crisis pregnancies find alternatives to abortion through service and support, in the spirit of the Catholic Church
Contact Us Notre Dame Right to Life University of Notre Dame 305 LaFortune Notre Dame, IN 46556
chooselife.nd.edu prolife@nd.edu
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Footprints: Notre Dame Right to Life
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In Addition to Visiting Our Nation’s Capitol…: Kellie’s reflections on the SFLA Conference by Kellie Raddell, ND class of ‘13 Three other ND students and I had the opportunity to attend the Students for Life of America Conference on Sunday, January 22, the day before the March for Life. The theme was, “Imagine… A World Without Abortion.” Several keynote speakers addressed issues that we may face when abortion is no longer legal. With confident hope that the tides are turning and the truth about abortion is becoming more widely known, they felt it was necessary to give college students of America motivation, educate us on how to be most effective in ending abortion, and encourage us to consider the world after abortion ends. Currently, 85% of ObGyn’s consider themselves pro-choice, and 10% are proabortion. As a student considering going to medical school after graduation, the bioethics and pre-med sessions helped me a lot. I learned about links between abortion and breast cancer, stem cell research, egg “donors”, and one doctor’s view of how he hopes all health care will be person-centered in the future. He taught us what he considers to be the basics of personcentered care and informed us that there is a group called Med-students for Life that exists to help students in medical school stay true to their beliefs and to promote a culture of life in every aspect of their work. Med-Students for Life is a resource and support group to help students that I hope to be involved with some
day. Mike Huckabee, former governor and current talk show host, joined us after dinner. He shared a movie he had created called “The Miracle of Life”. It covered a wide range of people who were affected in different ways relating to abortion, such as the woman who started Planned Parenthoods in Texas, a young woman who was adopted and discovered her birth mom had been raped, a man with no arms or legs, an ex-abortionist, and a man who had encouraged his wife to abort their child. This semester, I am in charge of pregnancy resources for the Right to Life Club. There were several things that were discussed that sparked ideas of things that I hope Notre Dame will be able to offer in the future! Our Right to Life Club President had the opportunity to go to a gathering of leaders of student pro-life groups. As students at Notre Dame, we are very blessed to have faculty and alumni who offer amazing support and financial assistance to allow us to reach our peers in more ways than any other group that we met last weekend. Thank you! For information about pregnancy resources at and around Notre Dame, visit chooselife.nd.edu and click “Pregnancy Help.” Kellie Raddell is the Pregnancy Resources Commissioner for NDRTL. She can be contacted at kraddell@nd.edu.
On the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life by Angela Bermudez, ND class of ‘14 On Sunday, January 22nd Georgetown University hosted the 13th Annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life, with keynote speaker Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia. The conference commenced with Archbishop Chaput's speech, A Thread for Weaving Joy, which 4
discussed the atrocities committed in the name of progress, such as high abortion rates for disabled children. Chaput spoke of the tendency that is prevailing in our culture in which "deviancy is normalized, so what once normalized" becomes deviant. In an effort to reverse this trend, the conference included breakout Continued on the next page
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sessions by various prominent organizations and individuals in the pro-life movement, including Human Life International, Feminists for Life, and Sisters of Life. Attendees—many of whom participated in the March for Life the following day—came from across the country, and even the world, including students from Notre Dame in Australia, to participate in the event. The conference concluded with a panel
discussion by Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Jean Schmidt, and Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, assessing the current situation on pro-life legislation. The gathering was a testament to the prevailing voice of justice and to standing with courage to defend the most vulnerable members of society. In the words of Archbishop Chaput,"Fear is beneath your dignity as sons and daughters of the God of life." It is this inspiring message that all prolifers should remember as they try to challenge the status quo.
Interested in the 2012 March for Life? Visit chooselife.nd.edu and click “March for Life” under the “Events and Activities” tab to see pictures, reflections, NDRTL in the news, the trip itinerary, order professional photographs, and more!
Presidents Meet: NDRTL organizes national meeting for college pro-life leaders On the evening of Saturday, January 21, 2012, leaders from more than a dozen colleges and universities met for a meeting organized by Notre Dame Right to Life (NDRTL). NDRTL contacted more than one hundred undergraduate pro-life clubs to meet in Washington, DC for a meeting to “share ideas, collaborate, and get to know each other.” Nearly twenty clubs agreed to attend the meeting during the weekend of the March for Life. The Catholic University of America’s Students for Life club hosted the event in the University’s student center and provided dinner to attendees. Several clubs made lastminute cancellations due to weather delays, but the universities in attendance included Columbia University, the College of New Jersey, Pennsylvania State University, Fordham University, Saint Louis University, Carnegie
Mellon University, Auburn University, Seattle Pacific University, Catholic University of America, University of Michigan, Texas A&M University, Marquette University, and the University of Notre Dame. Two representatives from the Students for Life of America (SFLA) and the founder of Life Matters Journal were also in attendance. The SFLA representatives informed groups about free resources available to university clubs, including event coordination, leadership training, legal consultation, and informational materials. Club leaders shared their experiences in undergraduate prolife work. They discussed the possibility of creating a forum for undergraduate pro-life leaders, as well as creating public forums for discussing prolife issues for undergraduates. These leaders remain in contact and hope to continue this meeting as an annual event. 5
Footprints: Notre Dame Right to Life 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
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vol. 5, issue 4 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
* * * * * * * * * "I have never considered myself a “diehard” 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 Continued on the next page
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lot closer with abstract cause that we're fighting. This is a very the friends I went with, and most importantly I real, present tragedy that murders children and learned how important the pro-life movement really is. traumatizes their mothers every day. If we By coming together and standing up for an have anysense of compassion, we must fight to important issue, you learn more about people than protect these women and children, and their you ever would sitting in a classroom. I realized families, from abortion" that if people work together they can make a big difference. Marching for four hours was worth the Amanda Bambury night bus rides and uncomfortable sleeps. It was a ND class of 2014 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. " "I have been coming to the March for Life for a few years, but this year being a senior made Tatum Snyder it extra special. I listened more, watched more, ND class of 2015 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 "The gravity of abortion hit me hardest Jenkins said it perfectly today, "We will not let a when I was in the Right to Life office one court decision mask the fundamental truth."" day. Each March for Life attendee received a remembrance card to pray for an individual child Sara Teising who had been aborted. In order to make these ND class of 2012 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, For more reflections from the 2012 March for Life, visit among other informaiton. chooselife.nd.edu and click “Blog” under the “That's when it hit me - this isn't some “Information” tab!
“As our nation continues to struggle with the morality and legality of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and related issues, we must seek steps to witness to the sanctity of life.” Rev. John I. Jenkins, September 2009
Footprints Notre Dame Right to Life University of Notre Dame, 305 LaFortune Notre Dame, IN 46556 prolife@nd.edu chooselife.nd.edu
For more information, calendars, pictures, videos, past newsletters, donation information, links, and ways to help promote life, visit our website: chooselife.nd.edu