AP News published a report Sept. 30 claiming that there are underground networks of people who are distributing contraceptives, sexual aids, and abortifacients on Catholic college campuses, directly opposing the Church’s teachings on sexuality and life.
The report by Christine Fernando details how groups distribute these materials at DePaul University, Loyola University, and the University of Notre Dame, three Catholic institutions whose administrations refuse to distribute contraception and abortifacients.
On DePaul’s campus in Chicago, a group calling themselves “the womb service” secretly delivers contraceptives to students, according to AP News. Its members began the “service” after the university suspended its chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action in June.
DePaul’s administration says that it “reserves the right to restrict the distribution of medical or health supplies/devices items on university premises that it deems to be inappropriate from the perspective of the institution’s mission and values,” according to the report.
Another group, “Students for Reproductive Justice” delivers condoms, lubricant, and abortifacients to students at Loyola. According to AP News, the group delivers to as many as 20 students in a single night. Off campus, the group hosts “Free Condom Friday” each week, where it passes out condoms.
The Catholic Church has consistently opposed contraception and abortion over the course of Her history. Theologians hold that these practices are against the “natural law,” meaning that even those who lack faith in Christ can understand that abortion and contraception are disordered and harmful, according to Catholic Answers.
“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church states. “This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”
Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation earlier this year requiring the state’s public colleges and universities to offer contraception and abortifacients at on-campus pharmacies and student health centers, according to AP News. The law did not attempt to force the state’s religious schools, such as DePaul and Loyola, to provide either.
A representative of DePaul University’s communications office told CatholicVote that the school cares about providing true health care to its students and communicating with students about their needs.
“We remain committed to supporting student-led dialogue on important issues, including reproductive health, within the framework of our Catholic, Vincentian values,” the representative said.
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