#USA #NY – Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham University, one of the nation’s leading Jesuit institutions, openly expressed her disagreement with the Catholic Church’s longstanding prohibition on artificial contraception, sparking criticism from Catholic advocacy groups.
In response to a student government proposal earlier this month to distribute contraceptives on campus, Tetlow stated that she personally opposed the Church’s policy, aligning herself with what she described as the views of most American Catholics. “I will tell you that, like the vast majority of American Catholics, I disagree with the Church on its policy on contraception, but it is the Church’s policy and, as a Catholic institution, we don’t violate that,” she said.
The remarks drew swift attention from outlets monitoring Catholic higher education. Complicit Clergy and the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts highlighted the statement as a notable public rejection of perennial Church teaching by the leader of a Catholic university. A similar situation with a faculty member at a Catholic university occurred earlier this year when the University of Notre Dame sought to promote a professor who personally had pro-abortion views.
Tetlow, who became Fordham’s president in 2022 and is the daughter of a former Jesuit priest, had previously voiced support for same-sex marriage, women’s ordination, and greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals. She maintained friendships with prominent figures in those discussions, including Jesuit priest Father James Martin, and once characterized traditional views on gender as “fundamentalist.”
Despite her personal disagreement, Tetlow affirmed that Fordham would adhere to Church policy and not distribute contraceptives on campus. Critics, however, argued that her public dissent undermined the university’s Catholic identity, especially amid ongoing debates over the secularization of Jesuit institutions following the 1967 Land O’ Lakes Statement. The university was recently under controversy for allowing “lavender” graduations, which were public symbolic gestures to spite the Church and its teaching on homosexuality.
Fordham University, located in the Bronx and operated under Jesuit auspices, has long positioned itself at the intersection of faith and contemporary issues. Tetlow’s leadership emphasized diversity, inclusion, and social justice while navigating tensions with official Church doctrine.
As of Thursday, May 14th, 2026, calls circulated for accountability from New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan or other Church authorities, though no formal response from the archdiocese or the Society of Jesus had been reported. The incident added to broader conversations about the fidelity of Catholic universities to core teachings.
Tetlow did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Image: President Tetlow seen speaking to alumni earlier this year at Fordham University.
