Adelaide Uni breaks silence on Howe consent controversy
Adelaide University has responded after one of its controversial law professors – an anti-abortion lobbyist – faces mounting pressure over comments on consent. Meanwhile, her husband has raised nearly $100,000 to sue the media.
Adelaide University has released a statement clarifying its position on consent, following one of its employees, a law professor and anti-abortion lobbyist Joanna Howe being embroiled in controversy over comments published on her YouTube channel.
Howe and her husband James discussed Chantel Contos’ Teach Us Consent program in a YouTube video published on September 9, where James said, “I just don’t do consent,” and “we don’t do consent, I do marriage man”.
The comments received swift criticism online, and from local radio personality Rebecca Morse, Bachelor contestant Bella Johnston and SA Attorney-General Kyam Maher. In a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday night, Howe claimed she would sue Maher.
James – who makes social media content about architecture – has raised about $95,000 for legal fees to “sue for defamation” after his comments went viral and were subject to media commentary.
Today, Adelaide University Vice Chancellor Nicola Phillips released a statement saying the university “is aware of all of the recent commentary regarding consent” but does not comment “on individual staff matters”.
Phillips’ statement comes after mounting pressure to “demand the removal” of Howe from Adelaide University, with a Change.org petition that was started on May 21 calling for Howe to be axed from the university garnering more than 6,500 signatures as of Wednesday morning.
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“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.”
When 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,” Howe said.
The petition has been gathering steam online since the consent comments went viral earlier this month.
One online commenter wrote that they signed the petition “as someone who has experienced non-consensual sex multiple times”, saying “it is something that damages a person, sometimes for life”.
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Another wrote, “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 worked at the University of Adelaide as a lecturer since 2012.
She has been a full-time law professor at the University of Adelaide since 2023 – now Adelaide University since the merger with the University of South Australia took effect in 2026.
According to her research profile, Howe has sat on the university’s Human Research Ethics Committee since 2015.
Meanwhile, James Howe’s fundraiser on American Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo has raised more than $95,000 as of Wednesday morning to raise funds for defamation proceedings.
The fundraiser description claims, “the mainstream media and several prominent social media influencers have claimed that I support marital rape”.
“It led to me losing tens of thousands of Instagram followers, clients and contracts and severed hundreds of vital professional relationships,” the fundraiser reads.
“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, one commenter saying “love your truth telling”.
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.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher declined to comment.
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