GLASSBORO – National pro-life speaker Jannique Stewart challenged several dozen Rowan University students to examine the moral foundations of abortion during a public presentation held Jan. 28 on campus.
Her talk – titled “Abortion: Is it a black and white moral issue, or is there a gray area?” – was hosted by Rowan’s Catholic Campus Ministry and open to the university community.
Stewart’s presentation, delivered in the Chamberlain Student Center Ballroom, combined scientific evidence, personal testimony and moral reasoning to address common misconceptions surrounding abortion. Drawing from embryology and firsthand accounts from medical professionals, she emphasized that abortion is not an abstract concept but the intentional ending of an innocent human life.
“Science is irrefutable,” Stewart told students. “When we understand what abortion actually is and what it does, the idea of a moral ‘gray area’ begins to fall apart.”
The event is part of a broader effort by Rowan Catholic Campus Ministry to bring thoughtful, faith-based dialogue into a secular university setting. Campus minister Kari Janisse said the goal was not confrontation, but engagement.
“These are difficult conversations, but they’re necessary,” Janisse said. “Our students are encountering these issues every day, and they deserve to hear the truth presented with clarity, compassion and respect.”
Stewart also joined Janisse and Mike Walsh for an episode of the Talking Catholic podcast, which was recorded on campus following the event. During the episode, Stewart reflected on her own path to pro-life advocacy, shaped in part by her childhood in Germany and her grandmother’s witness to the Holocaust. She drew parallels between historical atrocities and what she described as a modern “culture of death,” stressing the responsibility of each generation to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.
The podcast conversation also explored Stewart’s experiences engaging high school and college students nationwide, including moments of resistance, heartfelt dialogue and post-abortive healing. Stewart emphasized the importance of speaking truth without compromising compassion, noting that many young people have been deeply affected by abortion in ways that are often unseen.
“You never know who is listening or what they’ve been through,” Stewart said. “Truth must always be paired with mercy.”
Both the campus event and podcast underscored the role Catholic ministries can play in fostering respectful dialogue on moral issues, even in challenging environments. Students in attendance said the evening offered an opportunity not only to learn, but to reflect more deeply on the dignity of human life and their own responsibility to defend it.
More Online
Jannique Stewart discusses abortion and moral truth on the Feb. 2 Talking Catholic podcast. Visit talking.catholicstarherald.org.
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