Tension over abortion permeates our school’s atmosphere. Although I entered my first year opposed to abortion, I hesitated to say so publicly. I was keenly aware of the accusations attached to the label “pro-life”: hostility toward women, indifference to children after birth or imposition of hollow religious doctrines. Yet after three years volunteering for Georgetown University’s student-led pro-life conference, my conviction on abortion has profoundly deepened. At a campus where abortion discourse is often reduced to slogans and chalk battles, the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life (OCC) serves a vital role by providing a comprehensive, Jesuit-rooted forum for engaging with abortion as a moral question.
Above all, the OCC aims to encourage thoughtful discourse on the sanctity of human life. Our students hold wide-ranging beliefs and fervor about abortion — the Conference offers a rare opportunity to ask questions, engage with people and learn about efforts to protect every human from violence, neglect and dehumanization. At a university committed to intellectual growth and critical thinking, the OCC fosters meaningful dialogue about abortion and human rights.
The Conference’s most crucial contribution is uplifting voices that students rarely encounter. At an OCC, one may come across Dr. Kathi Aultman’s experience performing 500+ abortions, Joyce McCauley-Benner’s story of victory over violence after becoming pregnant in college from rape, and survivor Melissa Ohden’s journey of healing after discovering she was born from a coerced saline abortion. Listening to real people share their stories is critical in a culture prone to regarding persons as abstractions. The same logic that strips personhood based on disability, race, legal status, gender or socioeconomic circumstances manifests in the dehumanization of unborn human beings based on their smallness, dependency and developmental stage. This further obscures the vulnerability of pregnant women, who often face motherhood without support. The OCC brings in knowledge and testimonies that Georgetown students might otherwise not have the opportunity to engage with.
Furthermore, the OCC highlights the often-ignored diversity of the contemporary pro-life movement. Organizations like Democrats for Life of America, Feminists for Life of America, Secular Pro-Life, Rehumanize International and the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising have historically sponsored the Conference — their passionate defense of human dignity exposed where I’d been desensitized by a culture that demeans human life. As one of many pro-life students who is neither Republican nor politically conservative, I find this emphasis on ideological breadth crucial. We differ on much, yet agree that abortion is a human rights injustice that harms women and our whole society. We find common ground in advocating for paid family leave, reduced maternal mortality, authentic healthcare and increased governmental support for women, children and families. We recognize that defending the voiceless victims of abortion impels the defense of all people. The OCC’s rejection of political polarization is essential in building a holistically pro-life culture rooted in upholding inherent human dignity.
The OCC’s commitment to human dignity especially matters at a Catholic, Jesuit university. While strong secular and philosophical arguments against abortion exist, the Catholic tradition brings this matter back to its moral roots. Rooted in Christ’s sacrificial love for all, the Catholic Church is explicit about protecting human life from the first moment of existence, since every human is fully known and loved by God. In choosing a Catholic university, all students are invited to engage with these Catholic values regardless of background. The OCC provides a forum for this, enabling Georgetown students to learn why Catholics must work for justice and stand against the dehumanization of all without exception. This call applies beyond those who identify as Catholic. All students should consider their role in the mission embodied by the OCC: proclaiming the truth of human dignity and expressing this in action.
Being at the OCC reignites my passion for seeking the full picture of this issue — I urge you to do the same. Be educated about abortion procedures from former abortion providers, view the embryonic development of those at the heart of our conversations, learn about those seeking justice for five late-term infants discovered in Washington, D.C., and support our local resources for women (the Northwest Center and Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center). Most of all, even if you find the pro-life stance confusing or vexing, consider attending our next Conference on Life. You are a critical part of the dialogue our community needs on abortion.
As our campus grapples with moral issues, we need students to participate in the discussions the OCC cultivates. Many of us are neither Catholic nor pro-life, and our diversity becomes most fruitful through in-person conversations and encounters. People’s convictions on abortion often stem from personal experiences and exposure to this issue — most of us wholeheartedly want a world where every person is protected and valued.
Bella Kondrat is a junior in the School of Nursing.
