The following is a statement from University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on the veto Friday (April 27) by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg of a Common Council measure to permit construction of a Women’s Care Center facility near one for the proposed Whole Women’s Health Alliance:
“The Women’s Care Center, on whose board I serve, gives women in crisis the support they need for themselves and their babies before and after birth. It doesn’t engage in political advocacy, but provides compassionate, non-judgmental loving care to women most in need. I am saddened by Mayor Buttigieg’s decision to veto a bill that would have allowed the Women’s Care Center to build a facility near one that seeks to provide abortions. The mayor’s decision excludes an important presence from that neighborhood and thwarts plans that had met the criteria for rezoning and had been approved by the Common Council. Far from enhancing the harmony of the neighborhood, it divides our community and diminishes opportunities for vulnerable women to have a real choice. The mayor is a talented and dedicated public servant with whom I have worked closely to serve our community, but I am deeply disappointed by his decision.”
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on April 27, 2018.