A devout Catholic former union leader has sparked a mass walkout at a university graduation ceremony after saying “abortion is the leading cause of human death.”
Joe de Bruyn, who led the Shop, Distribution and Allied Employees Association (SDA) from 1978 to 2014, gave the keynote address at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) graduation in Melbourne on Monday night.
Mr de Bruyn also used the speech to talk about his opposition to gay marriage and IVF, which sparked hHundreds of students and staff left the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
He told graduates of the Faculty of Education and Arts, Law and Commerce that he had opposed “the deliberate killing of unborn human beings” for decades.
‘Today, more than 80,000 unborn children die each year from abortion in Australia. Worldwide, the estimated number is 42 million each year,” he said.
‘Abortion is the leading cause of human death in the world, greater than the human cost of World War II. “It is a tragedy that must be put to an end.”
Many attendees said the comments were inappropriate for a graduation and said ACU should apologize.
But an ACU spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that “Mr de Bruyn’s remarks at the ceremony were made in his personal capacity.”
Devout Catholic former union leader Joe de Bruyn (pictured) has sparked a mass walkout at a university graduation ceremony after saying “abortion is the biggest killer of human beings”.
“His views and tone of presentation did not resonate with many in the audience.”
The SDA is a major force on the right wing of the Labor Party and for years used its power to keep any move towards legalizing same-sex marriage off the agenda.
On Monday night, De Bruyn made it clear that he is still vehemently opposed to gay marriage.
“Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God at the origin of humanity in the Garden of Eden, as the Bible’s book of Genesis tells us,” he told the students, in statements reported by The age.
“Since then, every society on Earth has recognized at all times that marriage is between a man and a woman.”
Mr de Bruyn also spoke of how in the 1980s researchers at Monash University developed “the IVF technique for infertile women”.
“In the controversy that followed, the media asked me for my opinion,” he said. “I responded that it was morally wrong to deliberately bring children into the world in an environment where the child would have no father.”
The ACU awarded Mr de Bruyn an honorary doctorate this week “in recognition of his dedication to workers’ rights, educational advancement and the improvement of social well-being”.
But the university was reportedly concerned about what de Bruyn would say in his speech, given his outspoken opposition to abortion, gay rights, IVF and same-sex marriage.
“The university understands that many of our staff, graduates and their families disagreed with the content of Mr de Bruyn’s speech, and we regret that this occurred,” the ACU spokesperson said.
“We always encourage people to present their views and beliefs, while at the same time we are respectful of those who hold a contrary opinion.”
The graduation ceremony program said Mr de Bruyn had shown “exceptional support (for) the Catholic Church in Australia, particularly in the promotion of liberal arts education”.
It also highlighted “his outstanding contributions to the general well-being of the Australian community over a lifetime of serving and representing the interests of Australian workers and thus supporting the mission of ACU.”
As people left the exhibition center en masse, including some who were sitting next to him on stage, Mr. de Bruyn encouraged students to preserve their Catholic faith for years to come.
‘My experience is that many Catholics give in to peer pressure. They think their professional lives will be harmed if they promote church teachings.
“My experience is that this is not the case,” he said.
“Although my opinion on some issues is at odds with the opinions of my contemporaries over the past 50 years, this has never affected my career at all.”
Students and staff are photographed leaving the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center due to the content of a graduation speech.
The university said it will “issue a statement to graduates and staff attending the ceremony acknowledging the perceived misalignment of the content of Mr. de Bruyn’s speech with the commencement celebration.”
ACU has offered free and confidential counseling services to graduates and staff involved in last night’s ceremony.
“ACU is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for students and staff of all faiths,” its spokesperson said.
“Education, faith, respect and acceptance are at the center of our mission as a Catholic university.”
Many online commentators were shocked by Mr de Bruyn’s speech, with one asking: “Did this really happen?” That?’
Another TikTok user wrote: ‘Wait…why is someone talking about abortion at a graduation?’ Whether they are for or against abortion is not even relevant. Why abort?
A woman who was there said “she was one of the people graduating and she literally ruined the graduation ceremony.” I literally left.’
Another commenter noted that “there were probably a lot of LGBTQIA+ people in the audience.” You can be gay and believe in God. This was wrong.’
