A conservative Catholic organization has called for the firing of a Fairfield professor of philosophy because he and 17 other Catholic college academics have publicly supported physician assisted suicide.
Professor Curtis Naser found himself in the national spotlight after the Cardinal Newman Society, a Virginia-based Roman Catholic organization “dedicated to the renewal of Catholic identity in Catholic higher education,” sent a fundraising letter to 75,000 members earlier this year, calling for the firings.
When asked how he felt about being on the list, Naser said, “I was honored.”
Naser went on to denounce the Newman Society and its unfounded accusations. The most troubling part about the letter, Naser said, “…was the undercurrent of it and the organization’s trying to stifle those with whom they disagree.”
“We are a Catholic university, yes, but we are first and foremost a university, and a university is a place where we learn and debate issues,” he said.
Professor Paul Lakeland, chairman of religious studies at Fairfield, agreed with Naser’s denunciation of the Newman Society.
“The organization is a wholly unrepresented bunch of Catholic fanatics,” said Lakeland.
According to Lakeland, the people involved with this organization are people who blindly obey Catholic teachings and do not understand why they obey them.
“A university is a place where different points of view need to be debated and debating leads to understanding,” he said.
The Newman Society is no stranger to Fairfield University. Supporters of the society came to Fairfield in 1999 to protest a campus appearance by Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. Magazine and a pro-choice advocate.
According to the Boston Globe, who obtained a copy of the letter, the author was Dr. Eugene F. Diamond, who is identified in the letter as the former president of the Catholic Medical Association. The Globe reported that Diamond wrote, ”It’s nothing short of a disgrace that the pro-death movement which led to the deliberate killing of Terri Schiavo includes so many representatives of Catholic higher education in the United States.”
The Newman Society, which was founded in 1993, lashed out against educators from 10 Catholic universities across the nation, including Boston College and Georgetown University. Even though more than one academic was cited at some of the universities named, Naser was the only one from Fairfield included in the letter.
This Newman Society letter emerged in lieu of the Terri Schiavo case, where the feeding tube of the brain-damaged woman was removed, despite her parents’ effort to keep her alive. Many of the 17 educators supported ending her life support.
Naser, however, said that he appeared on the list because he signed a 1997 amicus brief, along with several other bioethicists, which argued against placing bans on physician assisted suicide. Though he did not sign anything pertaining to the Schiavo case or supporting the removal of her feeding tube, Naser said, “I would have been happy to sign.”
According to Naser, when it comes to something as controversial as physician assisted suicide, there are good arguments on both sides and it is not a black and white issue. Naser said that he believes that it is comforting for patients to know that they have a choice.
Fairfield University responded to the accusations by backing Naser. “We reject the Cardinal Newman Society’s efforts to undermine the academic mission of this University and we reaffirm our commitment to intellectual integrity, good works and service that we, along with the nations’ Catholic educational institutions, provide to our Church and society,” read the statement released by Fairfield.
Timothy Law Snyder, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, supported the university’s response because the Newman Society looked at the issues too narrowly, he said.
“What is missed by organizations like this are the many pro-Catholic sentiments, tendencies, acts and teachings by the organization at large, and those include the sentiments, tendencies, acts and teachings of Naser, as part of the organization,” Snyder said.
The general consensus from Fairfield students is that professors, as well as students, should be entitled to form and voice their own opinions.
Elizabeth Orgera ’06 believes that a successful classroom is one where students are able to see all sides of an issue with the guidance of a professor.
“Seeing things from different angles helps me form my own opinions,” she said.
Christie La Russo ’06 said that a difference of opinions fosters learning.
“Whether it be a religious opinion or an ethical one, like with physician assisted suicide, I think it is important that professors allow diversity of opinions in their classrooms,” said La Russo.
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