Fordham University, as it turns out, is a hotbed of abortion advocacy on campus. The Jesuit Catholic school in New York City, which bills itself as “the spirit of full-hearted engagement—with profound ideas, with communities around the world, with injustice, with beauty, with the entirety of the human experience.” That’s sounds nice, right?
It’s not.
Last night, the new film HUSH was shown on campus. Hush tackles the health theories that abortion is causing breast cancer and that abortion seriously impacts the mental 
and physical health of women. It’s produced by a pro-choice woman who walks viewers through the studies and uncovers the shocking ways that the mainstream media and abortion groups have sought to keep vital information about abortion away from women. It’s a fascinating film and the producers are seeking to show it on as many college campuses as possible.
We got the following email at 2am this morning from a liaison for the film about the screening last night at Fordham:
Two groups, identifying themselves as Students for Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition and Fordham Students United (FSU), distributed the attached document online. They showed up in full force carrying signs and intimidating students from entering to view the HUSH film screening. One sign said (As per typical) KEEP YOUR ROSARIES OFF MY OVARIES. Some students muscled their way in. Fore-warned by students, the university had a security guard outside the auditorium. We had about 30 people in attendance, all told.
Just before the film began, I went out to the reception area right outside the auditorium to meet with several leaders from the protesting groups. I told them I was the speaker. Inviting them in, I explained that I would be glad to answer any questions they might have after the movie. They went and sat in a group of about eight to ten and began filling out their evaluation forms, before the film began. When I got those back they were all very negative accusing the film of extreme bias, unmitigated lies and terrorizing women, and extreme homophobia.
The students who did attend to actually see the film were extremely complimentary and felt they had learned a lot from this very well done film.
The protesters had a big lap op and used it to try to prove false various speakers in the film, asking me about them and denying their logic. I said I would answer questions asked in an orderly fashion, questions that had relevance to the film and were not of a religious or personal nature.
We were also told that the protesters physically blocked all the entrances of the building where the screening was held. We found out after the film that students who went to go watch it turned around when they saw the protesters.
And Fordham let it happen.
Again, this happened at a CATHOLIC university. Even though the two groups that showed up aren’t affiliated directly with Fordham, this Catholic school of higher education allowed them on campus to harass and intimidate pro-life students. These are groups that are adamantly opposed to Catholic teaching and shutting down open and honest dialogue about one of the very issues that the Catholic Church considers a “grave evil” – abortion.
And these liberal groups are the perfect example of why it is so difficult for our pro-life students to have civilized conversations with their peers who don’t agree with them. Abortion advocates would rather shut down any chance of dialogue with the other side in favor of their own discriminatory actions. If Fordham really is a place of “full-hearted engagement”, then why let these radical groups intimidate students who want to have those discussions and learn and become educated?
The groups protesting the film hadn’t seen it, had no ideas about the information presented or that everything was cited and sourced and probably had no clue the filmmaker is pro-choice. They also didn’t care to discuss any of these issues and only pushed their own agenda that the film was full of homophobia….uh, nothing in the film dealt with gay issues by the way.
Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition has an interesting Tumblr account where they unabashedly promote abortion (screenshot below) and Fordham Students United describes themselves as a coalition of “student activists”, which apparently doesn’t include pro-life activists.
This kind of attack on the campus of a Catholic university isn’t uncommon but it’s a huge reason why students who are attending Catholic schools are getting short-changed out of a true Catholic education that produces well-rounded students who can persuasively defend the faith and understand why the Church teaches what she does.
Fordham University administrators should rebuke Fordham Students United and Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition for their ridiculous and offensive display of discrimination and intolerance at the screening of HUSH. But we doubt they will because as we’ve seen so often, these schools would rather conform to the ways of the world instead of actually adhering to their faith.
