A new group at Notre Dame called “Irish 4 Reproductive Health” distributed over 1,000 condoms at the center of Notre Dame’s campus last week.
Along with the condoms, I4RH also distributed definitions of consent to students getting in and out of cabs at Notre Dame’s main circle as they came and went from their evening activities. The distribution coincided with Junior Parents Weekend at Notre Dame, a major event that draws thousands of parents to campus yearly.
The group told Notre Dame’s Irish Rover that Planned Parenthood provided the condoms through its “Generation Action” project. This initiative “empowers students to act autonomously on their campuses” and seeks to “mobilize advocates for reproductive freedom.”
The actions of I4RH follow closely on the heels of Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins’ statement that Notre Dame will provide contraception coverage to its employees.
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I4RH claims to be unaffiliated with the university, but its leaders are Notre Dame students.
Publishing a letter to the editor in Notre Dame’s Observer, these students wrote that “focusing exclusively on insurance coverage for contraceptives does not do enough…if Notre Dame is willing to accept the importance of the coverage of ‘simple contraceptives’…then it follows that Notre Dame should be willing to provide access to barrier-based contraceptives (i.e. condoms and dental dams) as well.”
The group explained further that the provision of condoms would “promote gender equality by allowing everyone to take responsibility for their [sic] sexual and reproductive health.”
The group plans further action on Notre Dame’s campus, stating in a press release that they plan to hold events that provide “education and resources to promote our community’s reproductive and sexual health.”
Just five years ago, Notre Dame joined Boston College, Georgetown University, the University of Dayton, Providence College, the College of the Holy Cross, Stonehill College, and the Catholic University of America in stating that their policies do not allow students to distribute condoms on campus.
At that time in 2013, Michael Galligan-Stierle, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, stated that “Catholic universities differ in responses to some kinds of student behavior that strays from church doctrine, but most agree when it comes to distribution of contraception on campus.”
To date, Notre Dame has not made a statement or taken action against the student group.
Kate Hardiman is pursuing a master’s in education from Notre Dame University and teaches English and religion at a high school in Chicago.
