The Cardinal O’Connor Conference (OCC) is the nation’s largest student-led pro-life conference, held annually in Georgetown University’s Healy Hall. This year, the conference enters its 27th year and centers on the theme “The Pro-Life Mission After-Birth: A Lifelong Devotion.”
This theme invites attendees to engage in meaningful discussions about many pro-life topics. The conference goes beyond abortion and emphasizes the sanctity of human life at all stages, thus embodying the Jesuit value of care for the whole person.
The Georgetown community should take the OCC as an invitation to practice “cura personalis” by recognizing the dignity of all human life and committing to care for the whole person in classrooms, dorms and in everyday interactions.
The Jesuit value of “cura personalis,” care for the whole person, is a slogan that most Georgetown students hear on repeat. Whether it is during the Jesuit values panel at New Student Orientation or simply while wandering through campus, the phrase seemingly appears everywhere. The university’s website says that “cura personalis” places emphasis on appreciating each individual’s own talents and on providing care and attention to each individual no matter their circumstance.
Put simply, giving attention to each individual no matter what stage of life they are in and recognizing their unique gifts is essential to cura personalis, and it is exactly what this year’s OCC embodies.
This commitment is reflected clearly in this year’s programming. Guests included clergy and pro-life advocates who spoke on a variety of pro-life topics other than abortion. Andrew Kubick, who specializes in bioethics, hosted a discussion on physician-assisted suicide. Louis Brown, the executive director of the Catholic pro-life nonprofit Christ Medicus Foundation, discussed the necessity of a pro-life healthcare system. Other topics included in vitro fertilization (IVF), the death penalty and the foster care system.
Including topics like IVF that affect children before they are even conceived, as well as end-of-life issues like physician-assisted suicide, shows that the OCC truly is committed to the care of the whole person.
Georgetown, just like many other college campuses across the nation, is in need of a greater commitment to caring for each individual now more than ever. Shortly after conservative leader Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a September rally, members of the Georgetown community encountered two waves of posters with hateful rhetoric aimed at conservatives in Red Square.
The first posters mocked the phrase on one of the bullet casings found following Kirk’s shooting, “Hey fascist, catch!” The second wave included a large poster that told conservative community members to “follow your leader.”
While federal officials haven’t determined whether the posters came from a campus community member, the posters demonstrate a larger issue of disregard for individuals with differing viewpoints, which is a serious crisis on our campus. The OCC addresses this crisis by offering a place that champions the message that all life is valuable and deserving of protection. With the conference’s promotion of caring for the whole person, we can remember to both embrace and prioritize our shared humanity.
It is unrealistic to think that all students will appreciate and support the pro-life position that the OCC and the university itself uphold. Even though the OCC shows clear alignment with Jesuit values, the conference does not go unchallenged, facing criticism from some on-campus groups. H*yas for Choice (HFC) organized activities to protest this year’s conference and recently called on students to help demonstrate that Georgetown is a pro-choice campus.
However, all Georgetown community members can and should play a part in the OCC’s mission to promote a culture of life both on campus and in the broader community.
Building a culture of life goes beyond just advocating to protect the unborn. At its core, it means that we must see the inherent value in all people, regardless of their demographics or viewpoints. As Georgetown students, this calls us to practice “cura personalis” in both academic and everyday settings by engaging thoughtfully with ideas we may not share, treating one another with dignity and approaching even the most difficult conversations with care and respect.
Katie Rankin is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
