Thursday March 5, 2009
Stonehill College Upholds Catholic Identity: Stops Unauthorized Distribution of Condoms in Dorms
MANASSAS, VA, March 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The administration at Congregation of Holy Cross-founded Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., has removed boxes of free condoms placed in campus dormitories by student activists, according to a story in today's Boston Globe.
"Stonehill College should be commended for its swift and clear affirmation of the moral values that parents and students expect at a Catholic institution, said Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) President Patrick J. Reilly in response. CNS is dedicated to renewing and strengthening Catholic identity at America's Catholic colleges and universities.
"Chastity must always be a cornerstone of student life at any Catholic college, and permitting the distribution of condoms on campus would surely have undermined this core value," said Reilly. "I congratulate Stonehill on behalf of the more than 20,000 members of The Cardinal Newman Society."
According to the Globe, a Stonehill senior and 20 classmates collected the condoms from area family-planning agencies and, in direct violation of Catholic Stonehill's policies, placed them in boxes in dorms last month. Administrators are reported to have promptly removed the condoms, "citing the college's ban against distributing birth control on campus."
"We're a private Catholic college," Stonehill spokesman Martin McGovern told the Globe. "We make no secret of our religious affiliation, and our belief system is fairly straightforward. We don't expect everyone on campus to agree with our beliefs, but we would ask people, and students in particular, to respect them."
That a Catholic college does not permit condom distribution is not shocking, said McGovern.