NDRtL Members attend Georgetown’s preeminent Catholic pro-life conference following 2023 March for Life
Members of Notre Dame Right to Life returned to Georgetown University’s campus for the 24th Annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life (OCC) on Saturday, January 21. Notre Dame students have attended the annual conference since its second year in 2001. The conference, annually held on the Saturday after the National March for Life, celebrated its own return after two years of online conferences due to Georgetown’s COVID policies.
The student-run conference, named after John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York and founder of the Sisters of Life, was originally designed for high school and college-aged students to advance the momentum of the March for Life and give March attendees an opportunity to engage in intellectual discourse and pro-life advocacy. This year, the conference hosted over 600 attendees including students, young adults, religious, and professionals.
A swarm of protesters chanting pro-abortion slogans met attendees as they entered Healy Hall to check in. Conference Co-Director, Matteo Caulfield, however, was unsurprised by this demonstration put on by “H*yas for Choice,” a non-university recognized pro-abortion group which organized 80-100 students each year to protest the event. Caufield emphasized his commitment to his peer’s right to protest, and said that the organizers of the conference “even reserve a designated protest area for them on [the] front lawn.”
“In the wake of evil, we always aim to showcase love. I frequently invite pro-choice students to attend the Conference and ask challenging questions to the speakers whom they disagree with” says Caulfield.
Mary Elizabeth Balof, NDRtL freshman member, praised the Georgetown Right to Life group as they continue to spread the pro-life message despite adversity, because “they have a lot to put up with at their liberal campus and they get virtually no backup from the administration. Balof believes dedicated students like these show “the resilience of the pro-life movement” and “was inspired by their message to never give up no matter how many people get in your way.”
The conference began with a Holy Hour in the historic Dahlgren Chapel, followed by Keynote address from Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund Mancini spoke on the cultural revolution America has seen since the Dobbs decision. She addressed the spirit of death hovering over our culture, and articulated why we must respond with love. Mancini says this means legislative work, of course, but it also means strengthening the safety net for moms and babies in our communities. She concluded with a call to all Catholics: “you have the capacity to be a radical light of heroic love,” to change hearts and minds, and create a culture of life.
The conference then broke into a variety of breakout sessions which covered adoption, philosophy, race, constitutional law, feminism, women’s rights, healing after abortion, and the death penalty. Speakers included Elizabeth Kirk, Gloria Purvis, Sister Helen Prejean, Erika Bachiochi, Cynthia Wood, Joe Langfeld, Aimee Murphy, Josh Craddock, and the Sisters of Life.
Caulfield explained how the 15-student board came up with this year’s OCC theme and speaker list as they reflected on the role of cross-party political action in the wake of Dobbs. They felt it was important to invite several Catholic pro-life Democrats to speak “as we attempt to bring the cause of life into blue states and ensure our movement is politically inclusive to all who aspire to uphold the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.” The conference title,“Next Steps: Humanizing our Political System,” emphasizes pro-lifer’s efforts to maintain life-affirming policies in both red and blue states. Historitaly, Caulfield says, most speakers “have direct experience promulgating Catholic Social Justice initiatives.”
Theo Austin, NDRtL Freshman Representative, praised the presentation by the Sisters of Life, “Accompanying Hurting Hearts to the Mercy of God” which focused on their experience in their ministry Hope and Healing After Abortion. The Sisters, who bring over 40 of their religious, including novices, to the conference every year, were “the life blood of the Conference” according to Austin. “Their presence there, in combination with their beautiful testimony on women who have suffered abortions, really focused the whole day around the spiritual nature of the war that we are in. This war cannot be won on our own because only God can win this fight to end abortion,” Austin continued.
The final panel entitled “Next Steps: Humanizing Our Political System” featured Catherine Glenn Foster, president of Americans United for Life, Monica Sparks, President of Democrats for Life, Kathleen Domingo, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference, and Jessica Ann Tyson, former Republican City Commissioner and the twin sister of Monica Sparks.
The panel focused on the legal, political, and faith-based framework we must create to spread a culture of life. Panelists represented their respective fields with innovative proposals to help women and children in our nation, such as Foster’s vision to Make Birth Free, a step-by-step legal proposal co-sponsored by Democrats for Life and Americans United for Life.
Caulfield emphasized his satisfaction with the success of this year’s OCC, “the O’Connor Conference is special to me because it is rooted in the Catholic tradition while remaining inclusive, and has a strong academic focus. I believe drawing in our robust community and having them all present at Georgetown is essential to furthering the pro-life cause.”
The OCC has adopted Cardinal O’Connor’s famous line as its slogan,“there can be no love without justice.” It is a fresh reminder of the work to be done in our political system and culture. Those committed to the mission of life must be ready to work across the political divide in our nation to restore the humanity of the most vulnerable and create a culture of both justice and love.
Merlot Fogarty is a junior studying political science, theology, and constitutional studies. She has the blessing of serving as the NDRtL president this year and hopes to work in law and policy defending the lives of the preborn upon graduation. She can be contacted via merlot.fogarty@nd.edu.