BUZZ
‘Hosting a conference whose past speakers have been blatantly anti-LGBTQ+ and hostile to the lived experiences of students does not embody caring for the whole person.’
A recent editorial in the student paper of the country’s oldest Catholic higher ed institution, Georgetown University, wants the school to cease hosting an annual “anti-abortion” conference.
The Hoya‘s editors claim that “in its current form,” the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life (aka OCC) “promotes harmful and divisive ideology.”
Georgetown “actively promot[ing] the anti-abortion voice” contradicts its claim that it “supports diverse viewpoints” they say, and the conference’s “single, divisive perspective […] alienat[es] a substantial proportion of the student body”:
If the university is committed to embodying “cura personalis,” or care for the whole person, then hosting this conference contradicts this mission. Hosting a conference whose past speakers have been blatantly anti-LGBTQ+ and hostile to the lived experiences of students does not embody caring for the whole person. In fact, the university should not glorify Cardinal O’Connor, the conference’s namesake, who historically opposed the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights and AIDS education and compared abortion to the Holocaust. …
Currently, the university goes far beyond merely hosting the event — it elevates the conference’s significance. Several Georgetown administrative offices promote the event, including the Institute of Politics and Public Service, the office of the provost and the office of student affairs. This university-wide support of the OCC implies support for its teachings, which can alienate members of the student body who may fear the campus will not advocate for their sexual health.
What’s more, the university hospital prohibits any type of abortion procedure, school personnel “cannot refer students to abortion clinics,” and the Georgetown School of Medicine curriculum doesn’t offer abortion training.
Ultimately, the editors concede it’s highly unlikely Georgetown will give up the OCC, but say school officials can “reform” it so it “better aligns” with Jesuit values.
Their recommendations include “establishing clear guidelines” on the promotion of “hate speech” and discrimination, allowing “rebuttals” to pro-life views, “ensur[ing] marginalized community voices are centered,” and ditching O’Connor’s name from the event.
The editorial is remarkably similar to one from eight years ago; a March 2018 edition of The Hoya said Georgetown “should prioritize free speech over religious policy” by recognizing H*yas for Choice, and criticized its backing of a “pro-traditional marriage group” as promoting “institutional bigotry.”
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