President Obama to Speak at Notre Dame

Mother and Child: Single 60s Mom Stanley Ann Dunham with her young son Barack Obama

"Greer Hannan...said she and others plan to attend the commencement but to protest Obama's presence by putting a yellow cross with yellow baby's feet on either side atop her mortarboard."---CNS News (5-14-09)

UPDATE: "The Pope's Stand in Obama's Notre Dame Controversy." Time (5-16-09)

President Obama has described his mother Stanley Ann Dunham as "the dominant figure in my formative years...The values she taught me continue to be my touchstone when it comes to how I go about the world of politics." Yet in spite of the example of his own mother, who became pregnant with the future President before she was married, President Obama has said that he doesn't want his young daughters "punished with a baby" if they make a "mistake" and get pregnant.

Some people plan to disrupt the Notre Dame graduation because the University has invited the pro-choice President Obama to speak, but CNS News (5-14-09) reports that some students plan a respectful, non-disruptive, silent witness:

University of Notre Dame students who plan to protest the school's awarding of an honorary degree to President Barack Obama on campus during commencement Sunday are calling for a peaceful, prayerful approach.

"We believe a lot more can be accomplished through prayerful, respectful witness than can be accomplished in angry protest," said Michele Sagala, a graduating senior and member of ND Response, a coalition of student groups who oppose the school's decision to award an honorary degree to Obama because of his support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research.

...Greer Hannan, another ND Response member who also is graduating, said she and others plan to attend the commencement but to protest Obama's presence by putting a yellow cross with yellow baby's feet on either side atop her mortarboard.

"To express our extreme disappointment with the university for inviting Obama to be the commencement speaker but also to call on President Obama to reconsider his positions on life issues," she said. [Full text]