Notre Dame Solidarity: Students from St. Louis University

We adamantly oppose the University's decision.We stand in solidarity with the Notre Dame Right to Life pro-life student organization and all of our fellow students who oppose this scandalous invitation.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI (Students for Life) - Students for Life at Saint Louis University released the following statement regarding the decision by the University of Notre Dame to invite President Barack Obama to deliver this year's principle commencement address and to receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Students for Life is a student organization committed to upholding the fundamental right to life on the campus of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. It follows the guidance of Catholic thought regarding the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death.

This January in Washington, D.C., Students for Life of America recognized Students for Life at Saint Louis University as the pro-life college Group of the Year for its large, dedicated base of student involvement and for implementing numerous pro-life initiatives, including the Virginia D. Murphy Pregnant and Parenting Student Assistance program. The initiative provides valuable resources for students at Saint Louis University who are facing the unexpected challenges of pregnancy and seeking to continue to pursue their degree.

STATEMENT BY STUDENTS FOR LIFE AT SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

We were deeply distressed and saddened to learn of the University of Notre Dame's invitation to President Barack Obama to deliver this year's principle commencement address and to award him an honorary degree. We adamantly oppose the University's decision. And furthermore, we stand in solidarity with the Notre Dame Right to Life pro-life student organization and all of our fellow students who oppose this scandalous invitation.

Since President Obama's inauguration, he has repeatedly levied attacks in word and deed on the most innocent and defenseless persons in our society. From allowing federal funds to go towards abortions overseas to removing barriers that prevent the destruction of human life through embryonic stem cell research - even assuring supporters that he is determined to expand access to abortion - the President has unapologetically assailed the right to life during the first months of his presidency.

Catholic institutions of higher learning like Notre Dame and Saint Louis University have a moral responsibility not to provide platforms to speakers whose public stances are in direct opposition to the most fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church, even if that person happens to be the President of the United States. That this invitation was extended for a commencement address particularly disheartens us, as such remarks should not only reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church in their fullness, but also emphasize the importance of the graduates ordering their souls to truth.The President's stance on life issues is in direct violation of the truth that all human life, regardless of development stage, is sacred.

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As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed in their statement Catholics in Political Life, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." For Notre Dame, or any Catholic institution, to provide such a platform is to abandon its Catholic character for the lure of worldly desires.

We continue to hope and pray that our public officials will have a greater respect for all human, and that Catholic institutions will foster a commitment to the right to life in all of their actions.

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