Professor at Catholic Marquette U. Under Fire for Pro-Abortion Activism
by Paul Nowak
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
March 20, 2004
Milwaukee, WI (LifeNews.com) — A professor of ethics and theology at the Catholic Marquette University is under fire for his pro-abortion activism and recently was the keynote speaker at an event for a Florida affiliate of the nation’s largest abortion business.
Daniel Maguire, a former priest and professor of theological and cross-cultural ethics at the Jesuit college in Wisconsin, addressed a crowd of approximately 400 at a dinner celebrating the 10th anniversary of Barbara Zdravecky’s term as executive director of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
According to the biographical information on Marquette’s theology department page, Maguire is the author of eleven books and editor of three anthologies, as well as over 200 articles to various publications.
His most recent book, "Sacred Rights: The Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions," is listed on his biography on the faculty website, and his other books include "Death by Choice" and "Abortion: A Guide to Making Ethical Choices," the latter having been published by the pro-abortion group, Catholics for a Free Choice.
Patrick Riley, President of the Cardinal Newman Society, called Maguire "an outspoken dissenter from [Catholic] church teaching on sexual morality and abortion."
"Maguire contradicts everything inherent to an authentic Catholic university: fidelity to Church teachings, respect for human dignity, and serious scholarship," Riley told LifeNews.com. "As long as Marquette University employs him, it ridicules its own Catholic identity and endangers its students."
When asked about Maguire’s outspoken abortion advocacy, the public affairs department of Marquette University told LifeNews.com that Maguire’s position was protected under the university’s "academic freedom" policy.
"We don’t agree with his position," said the spokesman. "But faculty are not dismissed or fired over their beliefs."
The spokesman added that Maguire "is not teaching theology classes touching on that subject," although he is listed on the faculty website as teaching in the fields of theological, social, and cross-cultural ethics. In fact, Maguire is the only social ethics professor in the theology department of Marquette University.
Riley said that Maguire, founder of the pro-abortion organization "The Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health, and Ethics," has addressed conferences for abortion advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood and NARAL repeatedly.
His publications clearly reflect his position, as his 2003 book, "Sacred Rights: The Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions," argues that traditional Catholic theology allows contraception and abortion "when necessary."
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee would not address particular issues at Marquette University, but told LifeNews.com that "The Archdiocese of Milwaukee supports a consistent life ethic and works to teach respect for all human life from conception to natural death," and that it "does not endorse any speaker who does not accept this teaching of the Church."
Related Sites:
Marquette University – https://www.marquette.edu
The Cardinal Newman Society – https://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org
