Protests Aside, The Ceremony Goes On

[South Bend, Indiana. May 17. Image via Getty.]

US President Barack Obama acknowledges applause after receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree May 17, 2009 during the commencement ceremony in the Joyce Center of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. Obama waded into an impassioned outcry from anti-abortion campaigners as he prepared to speak Sunday at one of America’s most prestigious Catholic universities. Obama was to deliver the commencement address for graduating students and receive a honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame, pitting him headlong into the nation’s culture wars on an issue that he has tried hard to finesse. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)