University Faculty for Life Holds 15th Annual Meeting in Ann Arbor

        The extraordinary range and vitality of pro-life scholarship was very much in evidence at the 15th annual meeting of University Faculty for Life, held June 3–5 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the Ave Maria School of Law.

        University Faculty for Life (UFL) is a group of faculty in various disciplines who respect the value of human life from its inception to natural death. Since its founding in 1989, UFL has promoted multi-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration among professors on abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.

        Two distinguished plenary speakers brought attendees up to date on some critically important issues. John Keown, the Rose F. Kennedy Chair in Christian Ethics at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, tracked recent developments regarding euthanasia in Europe. He focused on the pro-euthanasia Marty Report to the Council of Europe, and noted that while it had been rejected, the forces behind it remained powerful and persistent.

        Richard Wilkins, a member of the Law School at Brigham Young University and managing director of the World Family Policy Center, dealt with the topic “International Law: A Threat to the Right to Life?” His answer was sobering: a number of recent developments make clear that there is a concentrated effort to make a “right” to abortion a part of customary international law—and as such binding on all nations.

        Another highlight of the meeting was a panel on the Terri Schindler Schiavo case. It was chaired by Dr. Charles Lugosi of the St. Thomas University School of Law (Miami), and featured presentations by Fr. Robert Johansen of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Richard Myers of the Ave Maria School of Law, and Mark Latkovic of the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

        Fr. Johanson was actively involved in the Schiavo case, as a friend of the Schindler family and as a frequent guest on media shows. He spoke on the case from this close acquaintance, while Professor Myers examined legal considerations and Professor Latkovik explored relevant bioethical issues.

        Topics covered at the conference ranged from politics, law, and education to theology, philosophy, journalism, and the psychological effects of abortion. In all more than 20 papers were presented.

        Among them was one by Clarke Forsythe of Americans United for Life, who looked at the issue of what to do when political reality dictates that only less than perfect legislation can be passed. Another was by William Mathie of Brock University in Canada, who examined the severe challenges facing the pro-life cause in that country.

        Issues related to education were also well represented. For example, Richard Fehring of Marquette University examined the attitude of advanced nursing students to abortion.

        An astonishing range of other topics were covered: Teresa Collett of the University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis) made clear “What Roe v. Wade Should Have Said” and Fr. John Conley, S.J., of Fordham University looked at “Benedict XVI—Prologomena to a Magisterium for Life.”

        Jean Echlin of the deVeber Institute in Toronto gave a gripping presentation on the end of life psychospiritual pain experienced by women who had undergone abortions earlier in life. Ralph Frasca of Marymount University spoke on abortion and journalism in the early Republic. Jeff Koloze probed the ways in which science fiction literature has dealt with the life issues, Damian Fedoryka of Ave Maria College gave a provocative critique of the pro-life movement, and Anne Barbeau Gardiner examined Great Britain’s Father James Morrow, founder of Humanae Vitae House, and his struggles in that country.

        The closing banquet saw the announcement of the UFL Scholarly Achievement Awards in English Studies, which are presented to college or university students for excellent research writing on issues of concern to society. The banquet also saw the presentation of the Rupert and Timothy Smith Award for Distinguished Contributions to Pro-Life Scholarship. The latter was given to Fr. Thomas King, S.J., of Georgetown University, founder of UFL and for many years its president.

        A distinguished theologian, Fr. King asked “Abortion: Why This Issue?” In explaining why he had focused on this issue, rather than the many others he could have chosen, he spoke about the way in which the defense of abortion rests on lies, and the ways in which these lies permeate the culture. His brief address was arguably the sharpest and most probing of the conference.

        Papers presented at UFL conferences are eligible to be considered for publication in Life and Learning, a peer-reviewed annual publication. Many of the papers from previous year’s conferences, as well as more information about this year’s, can be found on the UFL web site: www.uffl.org. The conference was assisted by a generous
grant from the Our Sunday Visitor Foundation.

        Next year’s conference will be held at Villanova University in Philadelphia, June 2–4. The conference coordinator will be Professor Jeanne Heffernan of the Department of Humanities of that university. She can be reached by e-mail at jeanne.heffernan@villanova.edu.

        All pro-life faculty are welcome to join UFL, which is nondenominational and interdisciplinary, and to propose papers for presentation at its conferences.