The 224,000 Children Aborted in the United States This Year Could Not Be Reached for Comment

The University of Notre Dame says it is making a statement against a "toxic political environment" by honoring Democratic Vice President Joe Biden and Republican former House Speaker John Boehner with its coveted 2016 Laetare Medal.

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"It is a good time to remind ourselves what lives dedicated to genuine public service in politics look like," Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, said in revealing the award Saturday, Catholic News Service.

Honoring Biden, who holds a pro-choice political position even though he says he personally believes life begins at conception, is being seen by some as Notre Dame's public rejection of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops' 2004 statement on "Catholics in Political Life" which stressed that "Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."