The Cardinal Newman Society is reporting that the students composed a letter following a talk given on Monday by Sandra Fluke, a law student at the school and "reproductive rights" activist who made a name for herself when she appeared last month at a faux-hearing staged by Democrats on Capitol Hill in support of the HHS mandate. Fluke claimed women like her need free birth control coverage in their insurance policies and admitted to being on a campaign to force Catholic Georgetown to defy Church teaching and offer the coverage.
But her crusade hit a snag when she addressed students at Georgetown, many of whom disagreed with her point of view and decided to petition the school for equal time. They sent a letter to DeGioia asking for clarification of the school's policy in regards to contraception.
The Family Research Center blog has published excerpts of the letter:
"…[R]ecent activism on campus such as heightened requests to alter the university’s policy on this issue, the presence of Planned Parenthood on campus, and pressure for the university to immediately implement coverage for contraception in Georgetown’s Student Health Insurance Plan, foregoing the allowed extension until August 2013, have caused concern among many students and alumni who support the university’s commitment to its Catholic identity. Particularly concerning is the fact that the university is providing a forum in Gaston Hall for Ms. Sandra Fluke to promote her views which are contrary to Church teaching. If an equal opportunity is not provided for the virtues of the Church’s teachings on sexuality and contraception to be presented, any hope of an adequately informed student body will be lost and we will have not achieved a true dialogue.
" . . . It would be prudent for the university to release a statement clarifying its position on this fundamental issue of debate so that all students are properly informed of both the details of the university’s insurance policy and its commitment to this policy in light of Church teaching. At the least, a statement clarifying misconceptions should be made. Informed debate is healthy and can be productive, but debate unsupported by adequate knowledge can often result in emotional responses that are unproductive and lead to unnecessary division and misunderstanding. Faith and reason can only work together if students are adequately informed."
Click here to read the entire letter.
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