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Volume 56, Issue 42 | MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com
DIANE PARK | The Observer
Exploring Notre Dame’s history on abortion By UYEN LE, SPENCER KELLY, LILYANN GARDNER and EVAN McKENNA From the Archives Researchers
Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a two-part From the Archives series depicting the navigation of abortion issues at Notre Dame. The second part will be published online Tuesday, Feb. 1. This January marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, reigniting conversation and controversy as prominent groups on campus, such as the Right to Life Club, organized to voice their beliefs about the issue of abortion. Though this debate seems
more heated than ever before, it has been a prevalent conversation for the last few decades, as the Notre Dame community attempts to navigate a complicated and nuanced topic. In this week’s edition, the From the Archives team investigated how opinions on abortion have evolved over Notre Dame’s history and how students have mobilized to express their views and to advocate for communities they seek to protect. We explore initial reactions to the 1973 decision, highlight notable marches throughout the years and examine present-day efforts of mobilization, all of which have shaped Notre Dame’s debate on abortion.
Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s react to historic Roe v. Wade ruling Jan. 24, 1973 | Marlene Zloza | Researched by Spencer Kelly On Monday, Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision to legalize abortion in the Roe v. Wade case. Two days later, as the nation still reeled in the aftermath of the ruling, The Observer captured the reactions of students and faculty at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. Notre Dame Director of Campus Ministry Fr. William Toohey described his feelings of “surprise,
College lecture discusses white privilege By CAROLINE DARROW News Writer
The second installment of the Center for Spirituality and the Division for Equity and Inclusion’s three-part lecture series, “Addressing the Soul Sickness of Racism,” took place on Thursday evening in Carroll Auditorium. Fr. Dan Horan, director of the center, focused the lecture on white privilege and how whiteness impacts society as a whole. “The ever-present systemic racism in American society is demonstrated through the major disparity between the way that those identified as white are viewed and treated and protected in the United States when compared with Black, indigenous and other people of color,” Horan said. “Doors are open to us [white people] that are not open to other people.” Horan initiated the discussion with a single question: “What does it mean to be
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white?” “Most white people in the United States do not know who we are because, as the writer James Baldwin observed, whites live a life of their own creation and support the perpetuation of neutrality, normalcy and supremacy by means of opposition and othering,” Horan said. “For most of us white folks, we have been conditioned to view ourselves as non-racialized and therefore ‘normal, natural and default.’’ Horan explained that if those who identify as white are able to recognize the “arbitrariness of racial classification and its lack of biological groundings,” they will be able to view the world with greater clarity and a more educated awareness. He then considered the impact of whiteness. The first effect he discussed was whiteness as the default. He said that by being seen as such, whiteness can be
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perceived as “ideal or held as supreme.” White people go unquestioned while “otherness is always positioned oppositional and negatively,” Horan added. “White means never having to think about one’s racialized identity or self as part of a ratio as a racial grouping,” he said. “Conversely, being Black in the same context means being hyper vigilant about real and perceived dynamics of whiteness in order to negotiate social settings.” According to Horan, being seen as the norm allows for white people to also enjoy social priority, since their comfort is prioritized in a variety of social settings and contexts. He then explained that another impact of whiteness is evident in the way in which whiteness is “invisible.” Horan cited philosopher Sara Ahmed to illustrate this see LECTURE PAGE 4
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dismay and astonishment” upon hearing of the ruling. “I consider this a decision against the affirmation of life,” he said. Toohey also said he felt that the ruling was antithetical to the ideals of social movements occurring at the time. “The most painful thing is the inconsistency of the war protests and the respect for life [in the ecology movement] in contrast to the disregard for the unborn and their welfare,” he said. Toohey cited protests against civilian bombing in the Vietnam War as an example of a respect for life that he believed was disregarded
in the Roe v. Wade decision. In general, the women of Notre Dame — during their first year allowed on campus — expressed more favorable reactions to the ruling. Katie Duffy, a member of the ND Women’s Caucus, agreed with the Court’s decision. “The Caucus has not specifically discussed the abortion issue, but I would say that we feel it should be a personal decision not to be regulated by the states,” Duffy said. “In this sense we favor a liberalized law.” Fr. Roger Cormier and Fr. Ned see ARCHIVES PAGE 3
SMC extends masking policy
ANNA MASON | The Observer
Saint Mary’s College announced an update on its masking policy for students and staff, extending indoor masking through Feb. 14. Observer Staff Report
The College extended the current indoor masking requirement through Feb. 14, according to a COVID Response Team email sent Friday afternoon. Students and staff w ill be required to continue wearing masks indoors except in
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private residence hall rooms or private offices. The original masking policy announced Jan. 5 was to remain in place until the end of Januar y. Citing a high number of on-campus COVID-19 cases and local numbers not being “where see COVID-19 PAGE 4
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