Obama and the Notre Dame Controversy

Criticism of the Invitation to Speak and Church Views on Abortion

May 15, 2009 Michael Streich

President Obama's address at Notre Dame University, a top tier Catholic institution, will not affect the historic Catholic position of when human life begins.

Barack Obama’s invitation as commencement speaker at Notre Dame University has unleashed a frenzy of criticism from Catholic bishops, Notre Dame Alumni, and everyday Roman Catholics that view Mr. Obama’s stand on abortion and stem cell research as incompatible with Church teachings. For Catholics, abortion is the central, core social issue.

The Catholic Christian Church and Abortion

Rejection of abortion and the use of contraceptives can be traced back to the earliest Christians in the Roman Empire. Abortion was legal under Roman law until the ascendancy of the Christian Church.

Early Church Fathers like Jerome and Tertullian firmly believed that the sperm of the male contained a child. Hence, the beginnings of human life were tied to conception.

Church leaders even criticized the Hippocratic Oath, often used today as a Pro-life defense, because Roman physicians saw abortion as an exclusion to the oath. According to John Riddle at NC State University, Tertullian accused Hippocrates of performing abortions.

Church Differentiation between Early and Late Abortions

Just as Roe v. Wade (1973) established trimesters, so the early Church differentiated between abortions within the first forty days of pregnancy and later term abortions. The imposition of differing levels of penance reflected these distinctions.

Additionally, as the church transformed into a significant early medieval institution, abortion was often referred to as “intentional homicide.” Punishments, however, were confined to women.

In the early 5th Century, Caesarius, bishop of Arles, condemned women who took “potions for purposes of abortion.” Since the prevailing view of sexuality was that it can only be linked to procreation, abortions, as well as contraceptives, were deemed sinful.

The Modern Issue and Catholic Sensitivity

Prior to Roe v. Wade the Catholic position had not changed. The precedent case, however, not only legalized abortions based on court parameters, but coincided with other social movements in the United States.

The Second Vatican Council refocused the goals of the church. An activist church began to broaden social justice priorities, something the church had already been involved in for decades such as the unionization of workers and the work of people like Dorothy Day.

Abortion became the litmus test of faith as Catholics lobbied Congress to overturn abortion laws, dominated the yearly March for Life, and eventually began to withhold Communion to Pro-Choice Catholic politicians.

The Message from Notre Dame

Despite severe and widespread criticism, Notre Dame President John Jenkins, C.S.C. has the support of the university trustees. The overriding question is, at what point is a university of the caliber of Notre Dame no longer an institution of diversity and the diffusion of ideas?

Several years ago the University of North Carolina was criticized for selecting Michael Sells’ Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations as summer reading for incoming freshmen one year after 9/11. The assignment was viewed as politically incorrect.

UNCCH is a flagship public university yet the analogy is appropriate: what is the role of any university? Theodore Hesburgh, a former Notre Dame President, spoke on WNDU-TV stating that “universities are supposed to be places where people of differing opinions can talk.” (Tom Coyne, “Notre Dame president catches heat for Obama invite,” Associated Press, May 15, 2009)

Source:

• John M. Riddle, Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance (Harvard University Press, 1992)

The copyright of the article Obama and the Notre Dame Controversy in American Affairs is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Obama and the Notre Dame Controversy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Obama to Speak at Notre Dame University

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