The Advertisement and the Backlash
In September of 1984, Ferraro and Hussey signed "A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion". This statement was published as an advertisement in The New York Times on October 7, 1984, and was called, A Diversity of Opinions Regarding Abortion Exists Among Committed Catholics [14]. The ad sparked debate about dissent within the Catholic Church, especially from highly regarded religious women. With over ninety-seven signers on this ad, it was clear that many committed Catholics wanted to generate dialogue about reproductive rights in the church[15]. In doing so, this form of public dissent aimed to force the church to publicly discuss these issues. Unfortunately, this was not how the Vatican interpreted the ad. Since the publishing of the advertisement Ferraro and Hussey received tremendous backlash from the Church, in fact, the Vatican Congregation of Religious and Secular Institutes demanded that they retract their signatures from the statement to avoid dismissal from the Sisters of Notre Dame [16]. This was far from what Hussey and Ferraro wanted to do. The two emphasize, “Our statements come as a result of both reflection and challenges from: the experiences of women we have known and worked with… and out studies of theology and the history of the Roman Catholic Church” [17].
Discussion surrounding their involvement with the ad continued for years. In March of 1986, Barbara and Patricia met representatives of The Catholic Resource & Information Service (CRIS). In this meeting, with Archbishop Vincenzo Fagiolo and Sister Mary Linscott, Ferraro and Hussey were told that no one could remain in religious life after dissenting from the hierarchical Magisterium’s teaching on abortion [18]. They were told that the only way their case would be resolved is if they declared adherence to the Church’s teaching. Ultimately, the ad highlights the diverse opinions among Catholics and calls for dialogue, however, the Vatican’s characterization of the ad has deliberately misconstrued it as a solely pro-abortion statement [19]. What is often overlooked about their participation with the ad is how past experiences influenced their opinions on the topic. Since the ad released in 1984, Ferraro and Hussey had been frequent speakers at pro-choice demonstrations and both refused to follow proper discernment procedures before making their public statements [20]. While Patricia and Barbara valued their own integrity and beliefs, they decided not to compromise them and ended up resigning from the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1988 [21]. A statement from the end of their memoir reads, “We stand with those in the church who believe in all women’s rights to make moral choices… who respect conscience and do not undermine it; and who seek the truth and do not fear it” [22]. The actions which lead up to the resignation of Hussey and Ferraro demonstrate the value in persevering for what you believe in, even against the most powerful of forces.