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SOUTH BEND – As a third heckler was escorted out of their graduation ceremony Sunday, University of Notre Dame students overpowered the moment by shouting "We are ND" and "Yes, we can" - the mantra of their school and the slogan of their president and commencement speaker's winning campaign.
President Obama directly addressed the controversy leading up to his visit to Notre Dame, delivering a poignant speech on the very issues his opponents tried to stifle him on. Obama never broke cadence, defending his stance on abortion rights and stem-cell research, while praising the university for opening up a dialogue on the issues.
"Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. It's a way of a life that has always been the Notre Dame tradition," Obama said.
Obama, who received an honorary doctorate of laws degree, was welcomed to town with hundreds of anti-abortion protesters who lined the entrance to the university, carrying signs with pictures of aborted fetuses and shouting their views through megaphones. Half a dozen students placed cutouts of a yellow cross and a baby's feet on top of their graduation caps to represent their anti-abortion views, and three men were escorted out of the arena after yelling from the crowd during Obama's keynote address.
"Abortion is murder," one man yelled from high in the stands at the Joyce Center as he was led out by security and booed by the audience.
Despite the off-campus demonstrations and protests inside, the president received an overwhelming ovation as he was introduced to the crowd. Many students had a symbol from Obama's campaign on top of their graduation caps and some had "Viva Obama" written in gold letters on their caps.
Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, praised Obama for accepting the invitation to speak even though Obama knows that the university teaches about the sanctity of human life and many in the Notre Dame community oppose his policies.
"President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him," Jenkins said. "Mr. President, this is a principle we share."
Obama called for reducing the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, making adoption more available and providing care and support for pregnant women.
"Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women," Obama said.
Obama said he was not suggesting the debate about abortion rights go away.
"No matter how much we may want to fudge it - indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory - the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable," Obama said. "Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature."
Obama also tackled stem- cell research in his speech, something many conservative groups oppose because it involves destroying human embryos.
"Those who speak out against stem-cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved," Obama said.
Commencement for Notre Dame's class of 2009 was far beyond normal, but it had moments that transcended the controversy and brought home the reason why everyone gathered in the first place. Students called their parents and loved ones from their cell phones and waved from the crowd to let them know where they were sitting.
Students in the School of Architecture designed models and placed them on their graduation caps, including the Washington Monument, a house of cards and the Empire State Building. Obama even went back to basics toward the end of his speech, giving graduates a message they could take with them as they enter the "real world."
"In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated," Obama said. "Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse."
