Catholic students press Notre Dame to advance ‘pornography-free campus’

Last month, Catholic students at the university introduced a petition that has been signed by over 600 students and was written by Students for Child-Oriented Policy (SCOP) co-presidents Theo Austin and Kate Apelian. The petition “call[s] for Notre Dame President Fr. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., to take immediate action to promote a pornography-free campus," per the Irish Rover.

“With a filter, every time students attempt to access pornography, they would encounter Notre Dame’s enduring message that pornography is destructive and exploitative. Further, for those students who struggle themselves with addiction to pornography, it will provide them with an additional opportunity to abstain from use and heal," the petition explained.

The petition was announced by SCOP at its annual White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) week, and comes after a similar proposal was voted down in 2023 by the Student Senate. In 2019, SCOP was able to gather 2,400 signatures, but it was rejected by then president Father John Jenkins, C.S.C.

In an opinion piece at the Blaze, Ellie Gardey Holmes, a graduate of Notre Dame, wrote that Jenkins “seemed more concerned about avoiding any attempt to control the behavior of male students who watch porn. His argument? That blocking pornography would deprive students of the chance to build self-control.”

The petition introduced this year added, "Our University’s own policy acknowledges this danger of pornography, condemning its access on campus using any Notre Dame technology resources, including the campus internet. … The University has refused to take any steps to enforce this policy prohibiting porn. We ask that the University rectify this so that their policy may actually affect what it dictates.”

Father Robert Dowd, C.S.C., the Rover noted, "provides a renewed hope for a filter" on pornography. Austin said of the effort, “My hope and prayer is that there will be no need for further labor in this end, that President Dowd will push this change through the admin and porn will be removed from access on University internet."

Similar initiatives have been successful at other Catholic universities such as Christendom College, Holy Cross College, and the Catholic University of America (CUA). As CUA president, John Harvey implemented a filter for pornography, and with him now being a visiting professor at Notre Dame, he told the Rover, “[The CUA ban] seemed to be fairly uncontroversial among the students, and I was delighted to do what they asked. I’d had it in mind myself, but their request made it all that much easier.”