Commencement Controversy

You have probably heard by now about the latest controversy that is all over the news and the Internet. Some Catholics are petitioning the University of Notre Dame to rescind its invitation of president Obama to give the commencement speech on May 17^th at the university. The issue at the center of the debate is president Obama’s views on abortion which are in contrast to the catholic institution’s views and beliefs.

The president was not invited to speak due to his views on abortion and I am sure that he will not use this platform to further his agenda. There is a right time and right place for everything. This commencement ceremony will be the right time and place to inspire the members of the graduating class about leadership and service to their communities. Who better to do this than a president that was a former community organizer himself? Our colleges are supposed to be places of dialogues where we can engage in constructive debates that we may not always agree on. We sometimes have to agree to disagree? Are we teaching our college graduates that they should only associate with people that agree with them? Is that sustainable in the real world? Should we be staging protests on their big day simply because we do not agree with the speaker at their commencement ceremony? Commencement ceremonies should be about the students that have worked so hard for four years to get to that point. Nobody has the right to steal that from them.

The issue of abortion is a lot more complicated than just right and wrong. I doubt that there is any woman that purposely gets pregnant in order to purposely get an abortion. As wrong as abortion is, it is just one of the many issues that are wrong with our society. Where was the outrage when the Pope went to Africa and condemned the use of condoms? Does he understand that Africa is being ravaged by AIDS and that condoms might be able help curb the spread of this monstrous disease? When did the Pope become an expert on matters about sex? Where was that same outrage when the Catholic Church was caught in a scandal for hiding pedophile priests? We cannot and should not pick one issue as a basis of judging who is or is not a good catholic or a good human being. The president said it eloquently that he would want his daughters to make their own choices if something like that was to occur but he would not impose on them what he thinks is right. For that he gets labeled an ‘abortion president’. If he was the abortion monster that some in the church are trying to make him, I don’t think that we would have those two beautiful daughters today

The Catholic Church needs to realize that some of their policies and beliefs ruin people’s lives and put them in danger. Preaching against condoms use harms the same people you claim to love. Taking a stand against other forms of birth control will only lead to more unwanted pregnancies hence more abortions. Abstinence only has been proved not to work time and time again. The simple solutions that you want to apply to today’s complex issues are plainly outdated and some changes would do the church some good. Anything contrary to that will just render the church irrelevant in today’s society.

Bravo to the University of Notre Dame for inviting a truly inspiring speaker and congratulations to the graduating class of 2009. This is one experience that you will be proud to share with your kids and grand kids