The University of Notre Dame announced the election of Roxanne M. Martino, president and chief executive officer of Aurora Investment Management, to the Board of Trustees at the University’s April 29 spring meeting.
A review of Martino’s contribution history on City-Data.com (see here and here) revealed that she gave a total of $16,150 to the pro-abortion group EMILY’s List between 2005 and 2008. On its website, EMILY’s List states that it is “dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.”
Furthermore, it appears that Martino has given a total of somewhere between $3,250 and $5,996 to the pro-abortion Chicago Foundation for Women between 2004 and 2011 (see here, here, here, here and here). Although it is not certain that the donor is not someone with the same name, the match is strong: same middle initial, two reports identify her husband Rocco, and her firm is in Chicago. During those years, the Chicago Foundation for Women made grants to the Chicago Abortion Fund, Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, the ACLU Reproductive Rights Project, and Black Women for Reproductive Justice. The Foundation’s website also notes that it supports the Illinois Campaign for Reproductive Health and Access, which seeks “to organize around the advancement of a broad pro-active, pro-choice agenda.”
Following the outcry in protest of Notre Dame’s 2009 commencement honor for pro-abortion rights President Barack Obama, University President Fr. John Jenkins established a Task Force on Supporting the Choice for Life to recommend ways for Notre Dame to “increase and manifest” commitment to a culture of life. Fr. Jenkins participated in the March for Life in the following year. Also in 2010, Notre Dame adopted and published the Task Force’s Institutional Statement Supporting the Choice for Life and the University of Notre Dame Principles for Institutional Charitable Activity. Following the Task Force’s recommendation, Fr. Jenkins also established the position of Coordinator for University Life Initiatives. Unfortunately, in early March of this year the Notre Dame Faculty Senate shot down a resolution that would have commended Fr. Jenkins, the Task Force, the new “Life” coordinator, and Notre Dame students to a culture of life.
The election of a trustee who has supported blatantly pro-abortion organizations does not bode well for Notre Dame’s effort to prove its pro-life commitment.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
5 Comments
The word “subterfuge” comes to mind with Father Jenkins.
At least Notre Dame is consistent……consistently NON-Catholic
Choosing a person like this for a leadership position at the University of the Blessed Mother is a stick in the eye of Catholics…and, Our Lady…
It figures.
I believe Notre Dame has pro-abortion sentiments and should no longer be called a Catholic University.
3 Trackbacks
[...] Notes reported last week that Roxanne M. Martino, who was elected to the University of Notre Dame’s Board of [...]
[...] to root for the Irish but they keep doing stuff like this: The Cardinal Newman Society last week reported the stunning news that the Chicago businesswoman just elected to the Notre Dame Board of Trustees, Roxanne M. [...]
[...] weeks ago, The Cardinal Newman Society discovered that Roxanne M. Martino, a newly appointed member to the University of Notre Dame’s Board of [...]