I was dismayed to read recently that the university is still engaging in the archaic practice of forbidding condom distribution on campus. (“GU to Enforce Condom Policy,” The Hoya, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002) When I was a student at Georgetown, back in the pre-Internet dark ages of the early 1990s, the battle over condom distribution was already being waged, and there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel: There was vigorous debate over whether to allow condoms to be sold in the Leavey Center, and common sense and fear of the spreading AIDS crisis seemed to be wearing down the conservative traditionalists.
To read that the administration still bans condom distribution on campus is disheartening. The fact that they are also stifling students’ free speech is sickening. As a student, you have a right to put condoms on your door, and if the administration stops you from doing so, you should fight it. By not allowing access to condoms on campus, the university endangers the lives of thousands of students in the name of an archaic practice that has been questioned by many Catholics, including some Jesuits at Georgetown itself. Georgetown students should unite to condemn the administration for endangering their health in this manner.
The Catholic tradition of not allowing birth control is an archaic practice that was promoted during Catholic expansion to breed larger families and swell the ranks of the Catholic Church around the world. Today this anachronistic practice is responsible for thousands of unwanted pregnancies in the world each year, resulting in thousands of children starving to death and thousands of aborted pregnancies.
These days, with Catholic cardinals and bishops under fire for allowing pedophile priests to continue molesting children throughout the country, the Church should pick its battles more wisely. Instead, the hierarchy clings to outdated practices and continues to alienate young Catholics worldwide. While the Church is under attack from all sides, it builds giant monuments to its own egos, like Cardinal Mahony’s new $200 million cathedral in Los Angeles. Visions of Nero fiddling might be appropriate at this juncture. If Jesus were around, would he want the Church to spend $200 million on a cathedral or to use that money to feed starving children?
By clinging to outdated Church doctrine, not allowing women larger roles in the Church and spending millions on buildings instead of people, the Church continues to drive away more and more intelligent Catholics. The result is dwindling numbers of young Catholics joining the clergy and in the pews each Sunday.
I want to encourage students at the university to fight the overwhelming urge to be silent sheep in the herd. Ask your Jesuit professors and the administration pointed questions about these matters. Don’t allow the administration to stifle your right to free speech. Stand up and make your voices heard.
Kevin Keyser graduated from the College in 1993.