Notre Dame is at the forefront of exciting, groundbreaking research that has the potential to change lives for the better. Last year, our university joined the Association of American Universities, a consortium of the nation’s premier research institutions, and this year, we have submitted over a billion dollars worth of research proposals on topics ranging from semiconductors to rare diseases. It was this positive trajectory that led me to be shocked when I heard Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is speaking Friday on campus.
Bhattacharya and several colleagues became well known in 2020 for their publication of the “Great Barrington Declaration,” a document suggesting that, even during COVID-19’s peak, Americans should go about their daily lives with no restrictions. The declaration, sponsored by a think tank that denies the existence of climate change, was condemned by 14 leading public health organizations, including the American Public Health Association, as a “political statement” that would endanger the most vulnerable of Americans. Today, research shows that behavioral changes prevented about 68% of Americans from being infected before vaccines became available, a population of individuals that may have been four times more likely to die if no changes were made.
While there is no doubt that lockdowns were correlated with inequalities in educational outcomes and increased loneliness, and the appropriate length of lockdowns can be fairly debated, they were a necessary public health measure at the time. Bhattacharya also contributes to misleading narratives by intertwining his libertarian ideology with unsupported science, including recommending against COVID vaccines for young men. The Stanford professor grabbed headlines for his controversial, questionable publications, and now has turned towards fighting culture wars.
Claiming his freedom of speech was suppressed on social media after he spread misleading information, Bhattacharya sought relief from the Supreme Court in Murthy v. Missouri. Writing for a 6-3 majority, Notre Dame alumna Justice Amy Coney Barrett found his arguments “unpersuasive.” His First Amendment rights had not been violated. Despite being told he misinterpreted the sacrosanct right to freedom of speech by the nation’s highest jurists and being critiqued by top scientists, Bhattacharya is being welcomed by the Center for Constitutional Government and the College of Science to give a lecture on “free speech” and the “end of science.”
I personally support groups on campus bringing in speakers on a wide variety of topics and opinions in favor of academic freedom, but one must question the choice of offering Bhattacharya a microphone in an era where anti-vaxxers like RFK Jr. spread misinformation and may have top roles in the next administration. As a constitutional studies minor, I enjoy the rigorous debate of constitutional issues, and as a Notre Dame student, I am proud of the research of our College of Science. But perhaps we can bring speakers to campus who have actually won in the Supreme Court and have been lauded, not lambasted, by the scientific community.
Alex Young
junior
Nov. 8
