MU’s chapter of the Knights of Columbus pictured while viewing Trent Horn’s webinar on pro-life arguments. MADDIE ROSADO / THE QUADRANGLE
Maddie Rosado, Staff Writer
On Nov. 5, Manhattan University’s chapter of the Knights of Columbus hosted a webinar viewing of American Catholic apologist Trent Horn, who presented pro-life arguments and addressed what he described as flaws in pro-choice reasoning. The event aimed to engage students in a structured discussion on abortion from a Catholic perspective.
The Knights of Columbus at MU is an active chapter of the international Catholic fraternal organization, emphasizing faith, charity, unity and fraternity. While already involved in the campus community, the fall 2025 semester marks the official establishment of the Knights as an officially recognized organization on campus.
Patrick Alfareno, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and Grand Knight, spoke with The Quadrangle about the Knights’ mission on campus and how their values align with the perspectives shared during the webinar.
“One of the missions we have as a college council is to help reach out to students and try to create a culture of life,” Alfareno said. “We figured this could be a good start, just having a webinar.”
Alfareno explained how he felt the webinar was just one step in fulfilling the council’s broader mission – to strengthen Catholic values on campus and guide students closer to God.
“We want to bring a stronger Catholic culture onto the campus,” Alfareno said. “We’re hoping we can bring them closer to the truth and closer to God by creating this culture of holiness.”
Alfareno added that the webinar also served an educational purpose, providing more context on pro-life arguments.
“I’m very familiar with a lot of arguments… 90% of what he [Horn] says, I agree,” Alfareno said. “It was for other people who may not know the whole context of abortion and all the types of arguments on abortion.”
The webinar provided an opportunity to hear Horn directly as he explained the reasoning behind his pro-life position. He discussed philosophical frameworks that conflict with the pro-life argument, highlighting his disagreements with various utilitarian philosophers, including Peter Singer.
Singer’s work in applied ethics evaluates actions primarily by their consequences from a secular standpoint, which Horn contrasted with his own moral and religious framework that, in his view, upholds the inherent value of human life.
“The solution, however, is not to accept the pro-life view that the fetus is a human being with the same moral status as yours or mine,” Horn said, quoting Singer. “The solution is the very opposite, to abandon the idea that all human life is of equal worth.”
Horn uses Singer’s claims to portray what he views as the extreme implications of the pro-choice philosophical position. He argues that by denying a fetus the status of life through abortion, this position implicitly suggests that some human lives are more valuable than others.
Horn further contended that if one accepts that all human life should be considered equal, then logically that principle would extend to supporting the right to life-sustaining measures, such as end-of-life support.
“A human fetus is a person with a right to life, but not a right to life support,” Horn said. “That doesn’t make any sense, because if they have a right to life, that must mean they have the right to at least the one thing they need to live, which would be the ability to live in the womb.”
Later in his discussion, Horn returned to the utilitarian framework, despite previously disputing its principles. He noted that from his own religious standpoint, God provides humans with freedom, but with that freedom come responsibilities and consequences that must be carefully navigated.
“God gives us freedom, but there are consequences, and we have the responsibility to protect people from acts of violence, including unborn people,” Horn said.
With the Knights’ values aligning with Horn’s arguments, discussions at MU have sparked differing opinions and concerns. These concerns are not new. Prior to the official establishment of the Knights on campus, alumna Rose Brennan ’20, wrote an OpEd in The Quadrangle in 2019 arguing that the Knights of Columbus’ mission does not fully align with MU’s Lasallian values.
“One of the core principles of Lasallian ethics is ‘respect for all persons’,” Brennan wrote. “The Knights might argue they are supporting the unborn fetus through their efforts, but in my opinion, they must also respect the woman, including her decision to terminate her pregnancy if she decides she is not ready to be a parent. Trying to commandeer such a life-changing decision because it does not bode well with one’s religious beliefs shows blatant disrespect toward the woman and her right to choose.”
Brennan’s claim emphasizes the conflict between Lasallian values and the Knights’ approach. As she suggests, attempting to control such deeply personal decisions not only disrespects women’s autonomy but also risks turning faith into an additional source of pressure rather than support.
“Reproductive rights for women in America are already consistently threatened by the government,” Brennan wrote. “This strain should not be coming from faith as well. In fact, I might argue that a woman who has had an abortion might need her faith more than ever in the immediate aftermath.”
To better understand Brennan’s argument, The Quadrangle reached out to Brother Robert Berger, professor of religious studies, to clarify how MU’s Lasallian values intersect with the discussion of the Knights. He noted that the Knights of Columbus are recognized as a part of the Catholic Church, a distinction that underscores their alignment with broader Catholic teachings.
“The Knights of Columbus are recognized as a part of the Catholic Church, and their views are consistent with Catholicism,” Berger said.
However, the perspectives of the Knights may not always reflect the full range of Lasallian values actively preached at Manhattan University.
“I teach contemporary Catholicism, and we cover a whole range of topics… Some things that the Knights of Columbus would agree with, and probably some things that they wouldn’t agree with,” Berger said.
As a broad theological tradition, Catholicism allows for varied interpretations, including differing views on when life begins, a key factor in debates over the ethics of abortion.
“In contemporary Catholicism, we talk about the fact that the Catholic Church says life begins the moment of conception, whereas in Judaism, they say it’s after the sixth day of conception… So, again, that’s an arbitrary story,” Berger said.
Berger noted that, given the diversity of perspectives on a college campus, engaging respectfully with differing beliefs is fundamental to the Lasallian commitment to openness and dialogue.
“I think discussions are key, and I don’t think they should be limited to anything,” Berger said.