UPDATE: Catholic bishop condemns Notre Dame for hosting an ‘abortion doula’
Late last month, local Indiana bishop Kevin C. Rhoades criticized the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution, for hosting self-proclaimed 'abortion doula' Ash Williams.
In the column, Bishop Rhoades stated that the university’s decision to do so was 'both intellectually unserious and unworthy of a great Catholic research university.'
Late last month, local Indiana bishop Kevin C. Rhoades criticized the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution, in a Today’s Catholic column for hosting self-proclaimed “abortion doula” Ash Williams.
In the column, Bishop Rhoades stated that the university’s decision to do so was “both intellectually unserious and unworthy of a great Catholic research university.”
He also said that while the university consistently features a wide range of different voices, including those that sometimes disagree with the Catholic Church, these are only acceptable if “the university remains faithful to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church.”
Campus Reform previously reported on the event last month when Ash Williams delivered a presentation on transgenderism and abortion rights at Notre Dame.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which condemns the practice of abortion, human life must be both respected and protected from the point of conception.
According to the National Catholic Register, roughly 105 viewers attended Williams’ presentation.
The trans and abortion advocacy event was held via Zoom. It was part of a larger event series sponsored by both Notre Dame’s Gender Studies Program and its John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, titled “Reproductive Justice: Scholarship for Solidarity and Social Change.”
The event page on Notre Dame’s website states that Williams, who is also transgender, has been “vigorously” fighting to expand access to abortion by means of “abortion doula” training and abortion funding.
However, Bishop Rhoades wrote that Williams is “not a scholar or even a prominent public intellectual.”
[RELATED: WATCH: Students can’t find the right to abortion in the Constitution]
He also asserted that the “unanswered activist’s case that abortion is a tool of justice for the marginalized is a grave mistake in judgment that creates scandal.”
This update coincides with a federal court decision to uphold the state of Indiana’s ban on abortions during and beyond the second trimester, which was introduced back in 2019 via Indiana bill HB 1211.
Campus Reform contacted every university, organization, and individual mentioned. This article will be updated accordingly.
