Guest MINDSETTER™ Jeffrey Girgenti: Why La Salle Took Down the Photo of Gina Raimondo
Saturday, October 04, 2014
I've been seeing my alma mater, La Salle Academy, come under major criticism for removing the photo of gubernatorial candidate, Gina Raimondo, from their wall of successful alumni. To be on this wall of successful alumni, means to represent the values of La Salle Academy past your high school career, and into your professional life. It is true, from a secular, societal view, that she is extremely successful; from attending Oxford University, founding Point Judith Capital, to being an integral part of a solution to the pension system. She is a successful person. La Salle Academy is a private, catholic institution, and has to uphold teachings of the catholic faith, which takes the stance of “pro-life” in the abortion discussion.
Ms. Raimondo has come out in staunch support of the “pro-choice” side of the abortion discussion. Not only has she come out in support, she actively accepts funds and is even featured on Emily’s List, a political action committee (PAC) who’s mission is to “elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.” In addition to this endorsement, she has pledged to repeal a 1997 law that bans partial-abortions. Gina Raimondo’s relationship to the abortion discussion is not representative of La Salle Academy’s, or the Catholic faith.
Many say, “What is the big deal with keeping her picture up? They can just not support her, but keep her picture up.” I ask those people: what right does she have to be up on that wall? What right does she have, to be up on a wall of an institution whose values she does not represent? Does a businessman mount the communist hammer and sickle flag on his/her wall? No; and it is obvious as to why they don’t. Why can people not see the same principle in this situation? Is it because she is a woman, and “the war on women” is an especially attention-grabbing headline? Or maybe it is because the Catholic Church is involved, which is regularly the bud of many jokes in the media. Perhaps, it is a lack of the application of logic and principle.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLa Salle is a school with many bright, young people, many of whom are catholic. Suppose La Salle left the photo untouched; what would the students think, walking past her photo every day during the campaign, knowing her relationship to the abortion discussion? What would the generations of youth that come after, think? What would parents think when their kids go home to tell them that an abortion-supporting gubernatorial candidate is on a catholic institution’s wall of successful alumni? La Salle Academy could face serious negative backlash by keeping up her photo, including scrutiny from: parents resulting in a decline in admission, faculty and staff resulting in a shortage of instructors; they could even face consequences from the Diocese of Providence, which could include removal from the diocese. It could severely tarnish and ruin the great tradition and service La Salle Academy has provided the past 143 years.
So, why did La Salle Academy remove Gina Raimondo’s photo? La Salle Academy is a catholic institution, and their wall of successful alumni is a privilege of alumnus carrying La Salle’s values into their professional life. Gina Raimondo, being a person who aggressively supports abortion, does not represent these values. This is not an act of war on women, on the part of La Salle Academy. This is the act of war on freedom of speech and expression by people who lack logic and principle. It is aggression toward the catholic faith and a private institution, who can grant whoever they want, the privilege to be on their wall of successful alumni. She had no right to be on that wall, and La Salle Academy had every right to take her down from that wall.
Jeffrey Girgenti is a student of economics at Bryant University. He is an advocate of the Austrian School and free-market philosophy. A graduate of La Salle Academy in 2012, he spends his free time reading through his library of books, or working on business development. Further thoughts on political philosophy and economics can be found on his Twitter: @JeffArgento
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