Adelaide University has responded to calls to sack a law professor and anti-abortion lobbyist over controversial comments about sexual consent.

University employee Joanna Howe is embroiled in a widening controversy over comments published in a video featuring her and her husband James on her YouTube channel.

“I just don’t do consent,” and “we don’t do consent, I do marriage man”, James Howe says in the video from The Dr Jo Show.

Published on September 9, it features the couple discussing Chantel Contos’ Teach Us Consent program, which runs in Australian schools.

The comments have drawn widespread criticism online and from South Australian Attorney-General Kyam Maher. In another video posted late on Tuesday, Howe threatened to sue Maher.

James Howe – who makes social media content about architecture – has raised about $95,000 for legal fees to “sue for defamation” after his comments went viral.

On Wednesday, Adelaide University Vice Chancellor Nicola Phillips said the institution was “aware of all of the recent commentary regarding consent” but does not comment “on individual staff matters”.

Phillips’ statement came amid pressure to “demand the removal” of Howe from Adelaide University. A Change.org petition started on May 21 calling for her to be sacked had more than 6,500 signatures as of Wednesday morning.

“Our expectations and values on this matter are very clear. Consent must be freely and voluntarily given, and it is the responsibility of each person involved to ensure consent is present,” Phillips said.

“Adelaide University remains determined to address gender-based violence through education, awareness and collective action. We believe that fostering a culture of respect, safety and inclusion requires ongoing work to reinforce the utmost importance of consent and respectful relationships.

“All students and staff have access to education, training and resources designed to build understanding of consent and support safer communities, and these messages are reinforced regularly through communications to our university community.

“Consistent with the university’s legal obligations, including its obligations relating to privacy, confidentiality and procedural fairness, the university does not comment on individual staff matters or views.”

Contacted for comment, Joanna Howe said: “You should be careful because we will sue you for defamation with the 95,000 that we currently have in our GiveSendGo account, and it’s rising rapidly by the day”.

“You know who really is the victim here? It’s actually my husband, who’s an honest, good man, the love of my life, who I’ve been married to for 17 years, who in the last week has been dragged through the mud by malicious, vicious people who care nothing about the truth,” she said.

The online petition has gathered steam after the consent comments went viral earlier this month.

One online commenter wrote that they signed “as someone who has experienced non-consensual sex multiple times”.

“t is something that damages a person, sometimes for life,” they wrote.

Another said, “just when I decided to start studying law at Adelaide Uni in 2027, I find out about this. I’ve submitted multiple complaints and the university’s response will dictate where I will choose to study”.

“This makes me embarrassed of my university,” said another comment on the petition.

Howe has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Law from the University of Oxford and has been a University of Adelaide lecturer since 2012. She has been one of the university’s full-time law professors since 2023.

According to her research profile, Howe has sat on the university’s Human Research Ethics Committee since 2015.

Meanwhile, James Howe’s appeal on American Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo had raised more than $95,000 by Wednesday morning for defamation action.

“The mainstream media and several prominent social media influencers have claimed that I support marital rape,” the fundraiser description claims.

“It led to me losing tens of thousands of Instagram followers, clients and contracts and severed hundreds of vital professional relationships.

“These falsehoods were wilfully propagated by ideological opponents of mine because I support my wife Dr Joanna Howe in her pro-life work.”

The fundraiser has received hundreds of donations and comments of support.

“Love your truth telling,” wrote one supporter.

Other comments referenced Bible verses.

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mat 5:11-12),” one comment said.

Republished from InDaily