ROME — Several prominent Jesuit-run schools rank “among the worst in the nation” when it comes to respecting freedom of speech, the Catholic League noted this week.
In its recently published “2024 College Free Speech Rankings,” the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) found that four Jesuit schools in particular stand out for their hostility to free speech on campus.
The schools that “consistently perform poorly” include Boston College, Fordham University, Georgetown University, and Marquette University, the study found.
The FIRE survey of 248 colleges and universities ranked Boston College at #229, Marquette University at #230, Fordham University at #244, and Georgetown University at #245 (earning it a “Very Poor” rating), noted Catholic League president Bill Donohue.
The schools in the bottom five, including Fordham and Georgetown, “succeeded in censoring speech 81 percent of the time,” Donohue observed.
Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) defended censorship on Thursday, arguing that certain views should not enjoy the free speech protections of the First Amendment, which she said was limited by the Supreme Court. https://t.co/Q2clMj3M1U
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 20, 2023
The left-wing authoritarian environment at these nominally “Catholic” schools regularly censors expressions of orthodox Catholic teaching, such as the Church’s stalwart defense of the right to life of every human being, even the unborn.
“As usual, it’s left-wing students, dogmatically following the ideological predilections of their professors, who are the most intolerant of free speech,” Donohue stated, citing rampant student opposition to allowing controversial conservative speakers on campus.
According to the study, along with abortion, many students identified gun control, racial inequality, and transgender rights as topics difficult to discuss with their peers.
Of all 248 schools and universities, the one that scored lowest in defense of free speech was Harvard University, which earned 0.00, meriting the tag, “Abysmal.”
The best performing five schools for their promotion of free speech were Michigan Technological University, Auburn University, University of New Hampshire, Oregon State University, and Florida State University.
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