Despite having a foundation in a faith that values life from conception and denounces abortion, some Catholic colleges have relationships with Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Following up on its original report in 2011 titled, “A Scandalous Relationship: Catholic Colleges and Planned Parenthood,” which exposed more than 150 examples of Catholic colleges tied to the abortion organization, the Cardinal Newman Society revisited the issue after the recent release of videos unmasking Planned Parenthood’s practices of harvesting body parts of aborted babies for sale on the open market.
In its new report released in August, the Cardinal Newman Society, whose mission is to promote and defend faithful Catholic education, states it has found more than 62 new or continued examples of Catholic college relationships with Planned Parenthood since 2011. This includes counseling and medical referrals, internships and job referrals, faculty ties, honors and speaker platforms, academic activities, and student and alumni recognition.
The Catholic education organization, which searched for online evidence of the colleges’ ties with Planned Parenthood, says that since its original report in 2011, “we have ample reason to believe that ongoing associations with the abortion giant have been scrubbed from many Catholic college websites.”
According to the report:
If one considers—from a faithfully Catholic perspective—the fact that Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States and a leading contributor to what Pope John Paul II labeled a “culture of death,” any relationship to Planned Parenthood or those who have worked for such an organization is simply unacceptable. In no way can the work of Planned Parenthood be considered compatible with the mission of Catholic higher education or the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.
“[T]he brazen manner in which Catholic colleges and universities are publicly disclosing—even proudly touting—their ties or the ties of their employees, students and alumni to Planned Parenthood is shocking,” the Newman Society report continues. “There appears to be a pervasive attitude toward Planned Parenthood that regards the abortion and contraceptive agency as benign.”
Indeed, what the Newman Society has discovered among Catholic colleges may reflect what is generally seen among Catholics at large.
A report last week by the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts observed that 91 percent of self-identified Catholics in the Massachusetts Senate were listed as either “Champions” or “Allies” of Planned Parenthood.
Similarly, the report found that only 30 percent of Catholic members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives are opponents of Planned Parenthood. The report continues:
There is no apparent distinction here between nominal and practicing Catholics. If you received a Catholic education, belong to a Catholic fraternal order, and identify with your local parish, you are, if you belong to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, statistically likely to be a supporter of Planned Parenthood. In fact, Catholic school, college, or university graduates in the House are, by a significant margin, more likely to support Planned Parenthood than Catholic House members who attended public or private institutions.
The full list of Catholic colleges with ties to Planned Parenthood, which can be determined by a search online of the colleges’ websites, is available in the Newman Society report.
Examples in the report include the library at the College of Saint Rose in New York, which recommends and links to Planned Parenthood as a “Health and Wellness” resource for “sexual health and family planning” services.
“No Catholic or pro-life options are included,” states the Newman Society.
Similarly, Gonzaga University in Washington State offers students a community resource map that includes a recommendation to Planned Parenthood for “health care” services.
Another example by the Newman Society:
Fairfield University (CT) employs Michael Pagano… an associate professor of communication, despite the fact that he acted as a physician’s assistant at Planned Parenthood of Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas in the early 1990s—a fact revealed in his C.V… on the University website. Pagano’s employment at Fairfield continues despite a Cardinal Newman Society article exposing… the scandal in March 2014.
An example of praise bestowed on an alumna of a Catholic college is The University of San Diego’s Department of Political Science and International Relations, which commended a recent graduate for her contributions in the sexual health field and her work with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
“Indeed, the real problem on Catholic campuses is that many of those working on these campuses still do not understand the Catholic mission,” writes Dr. Anne Hendershott, professor of sociology at Franciscan University, at Crisis Magazine. “Offering internships at Planned Parenthood can never be considered compatible with Catholic teachings. Yet, faculty and staff on many of these campuses continue to defy the moral teachings of the Church on the intrinsic evil of abortion—with little response from those charged with implementing the sacred mission of Catholic higher education.”
Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, tells Breitbart News that parents seeking to send their children to Catholic colleges should be cautious.
“Catholic families should be especially wary about a Catholic college that boldly declares such relationships with Planned Parenthood on its website,” he says. “That’s likely an indication of much more that isn’t being publicized. Look at a college carefully, and don’t stop with the glossy brochures.”
“It’s not just that a Catholic college shouldn’t be doing certain things,” he adds. “It should be proactively challenging the culture of abortion in the classroom, in its lectures, and in its public events. A faithful Catholic institution today must be emphatically pro-life.”