Harvard Professor Glendon Declines Notre Dame Award, Citing Obama's Appearance At Commencement

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 30 Apr 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School professor and "one of the most prominent Catholic conservative intellectuals" in the U.S., on Monday announced that she will not accept an award from the University of Notre Dame because of the university's invitation to President Obama to receive an honorary degree and deliver its commencement speech, the Boston Globe reports. Glendon -- who served as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican during the final years of former President George W. Bush's administration -- was offered the university's Laetare Medal, which honors a Catholic layperson who exemplifies the ideals of the church.

The Globe reports that Glendon's announcement added fuel to the ongoing controversy over the Catholic university's decision to honor Obama, who supports abortion rights and has taken steps to widen access to abortion services and ease restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. In a letter to the Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, Glendon said that she was disappointed to learn that Obama would receive an honorary degree from the university and that "talking points issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event." She continued that a commencement "is supposed to be a joyous day" and "is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame's decision, in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops, to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the church's position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice." In response, Jenkins issued a statement saying that university officials are "disappointed" in Glendon's decision but that they would award the medal "to another deserving recipient," who will be announced soon.

According to the Globe, more than 40 U.S. bishops have protested Notre Dame's decision to invite Obama, and thousands of conservative Catholics have signed online petitions expressing their opposition to the invitation. Kenneth Himes, chair of the theology department at Boston College, said that although there are "some well-meaning people who think Notre Dame has given away its Catholic identity," there is also "a political game going on here, and part of that is that you demonize the people who disagree with you, you question their integrity, you challenge their character and you brand these people as moral poison." Himes added that "[s]ome people have simply reduced Catholicism to the abortion issue, and, consequently, they have simply launched a crusade to bar anything from Catholic institutions that smacks of any sort of open conversation" (Paulson, Boston Globe, 4/28).

Obama Should Follow Glendon's 'Lead,' Decline Notre Dame Invitation, Opinion Piece Says

To non-Catholics, Glendon's decision to decline Notre Dame's award "may seem of little importance, yet another feud within the church," Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker writes in an opinion piece. She continues, "Abortion, after all, is settled law and Obama is the duly elected president. Clearly, the American people have moved on. Or have they?" According to Parker, "One needn't be a dedicated pro-lifer to understand the consternation Obama's invitation has caused," as Obama is "more radical than all previous presidents on the life issue," Parker writes. She concludes, "Obama might consider following Glendon's lead. Although he supports choice, the president also recognizes the moral complexity of those decisions. Out of respect for pro-life Catholics and their beloved institutions, he should politely bow out" (Parker, Washington Post, 4/29).

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