Trent Horn’s anti-abortion views stir debate at Drew

Trent Horn speaks at Drew University, Nov. 9, 2021. Photo by Keven Ariel Munoz
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By Keven Ariel Muñoz

 

On his website, Trent Horn says he specializes in teaching Catholics to “graciously and persuasively engage those who disagree with them.”

His skills were put to the test Tuesday at Drew University, where his anti-abortion views were met with protests, groans and laughter.

Trent Horn. Courtesy of TrentHorn.com

The school’s College Republicans and Catholic Campus Ministry clubs invited Horn, a self-described “Catholic apologist,” to speak at the Madison campus. Crawford Hall was filled with Horn supporters and protesters who wore pink to show solidarity.

Some attendees applauded Horn. Others groaned and laughed when he explained his arguments against abortion and fielded questions.

One such instance was when Horn said: “Otherwise, I have all the background I need to talk about an important moral issue—and that would be, I have a functioning rational brain that can discern what is right and what is wrong.”

Horn described “three kinds of arguments that are used to justify legal abortion… those that assume the unborn are not human beings, those that argue the unborn are not human beings, those that admit the unborn are human beings.”

Clashes over the invitation of Horn began a couple of weeks ago, with the ripping down of event posters and a heated discussion at a student government meeting on Nov. 3, 2021.

Note protests talk by Trent Horn at Drew University, Nov. 9, 2021. Photo by Kevin Ariel Munoz

On Tuesday, Drew’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA) student government set up tables outside Crawford Hall for organizations such as Feminist Intersection and the Women of Concern, which hosted activities while Horn was speaking.

Horn earned master’s degrees in theology, philosophy and bioethics after his conversion to Catholicism. The author and podcaster has spoken at several universities across the country, with hopes of teaching others how to engage with those who disagree with him and his beliefs.

Nicholas Ramirez, president of the Drew College Republicans and co-president of the Catholic Campus Ministry club, said “it was not as important for us to host Trent Horn specifically as it was to host someone who was willing to come and share the Pro-Life message.

“No matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, this is an extremely important time to talk about this subject.”

Audience for Trent Horn talk at Drew University, Nov. 9, 2021. Photo by Keven Ariel Munoz

A protest outside the venue saw students making signs and engaging with material regarding reproductive health. The Generation Action Planned Parenthood chapter at Drew set up a small space to gather in a residence hall lounge.

Student Government also set up a small “decompression” area in The Space, within the same student center as Crawford Hall.

“Last night gave us the opportunity for students to know that they are seen and supported. We hope this paves the road for our Drew community members and leaders to grow with one another,” said CLA student government President Kareena Salvi and Vice President Nate Roark in a joint statement.

After a contentious Q & A session that ended with a student slapping an altered picture of the guest speaker, Drew’s radio station, WMNJ, hosted a dance party outside Crawford Hall to conclude the night.

Keven Ariel Munoz, Drew ’22, is a San Francisco native majoring in Spanish and Media and Communications. He is a co-editor The Drew Acorn, the school’s student-run newspaper.

2 COMMENTS

  1. @Helathy Debate: Why should there be a debate about abortion? It is a personal choice that should NOT be debated. If it goes against one’s belief, then don’t get an abortion.

  2. Why are certain students at Drew afraid of hearing opinions that they don’t agree with and why can’t they debate them in a respectful manner? Instead of trying to shutdown those with different opinions, students would be best served trying to convince those they disagree with that their ideas are better.

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