A More Scandalous Relationship: Catholic Colleges and Planned Parenthood
A Special Investigative Report
August 18, 2015 Researched by
Justin Petrisek & Kimberly Scharfenberger
The mission of Planned Parenthood has nothing in common with the values of the Catholic Church, and no Catholic college should be collaborating with Planned Parenthood or its representatives on any matter—most especially those related to sexuality or the education of young adults.
That has been the message of The Cardinal Newman Society since 2011, when our researchers identified and exposed more than 150 instances of Catholic college ties to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business and purveyor of artificial contraception. The report, A Scandalous Relationship: Catholic Colleges and Planned Parenthood, 1 exposed associations with Planned Parenthood that were discovered on college websites through April 2011. Many colleges responded by deleting, moving, or hiding the online evidence of scandal, and so the report was updated in May 2011.
Prompted by recent videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s harvesting and selling of aborted baby body parts, The Cardinal Newman Society has again conducted a public search of Catholic college websites. We have identified 63 new or continued relationships with Planned Parenthood and its representatives since May 2011.
This report is limited to evidence found online. We have ample reason to believe that ongoing associations with the abortion giant have been scrubbed from many Catholic college websites since our 2011 report. And as we noted then, “What is publicized on the Internet often indicates more extensive concerns hidden from public view, so while the information contained in this report is shocking and scandalous, it is only based on a rudimentary search of college websites and likely does not capture all ties to Planned Parenthood at Catholic colleges and universities.”
Every one of the relationships that we expose in this report ought to appall any Catholic who values human life and relies on Catholic educators to teach in complete fidelity to the Catholic faith. The scandal is only greater because of the recent revelations of the abhorrent practices at Planned Parenthood. There is no minor instance of a Catholic college’s cooperation with Planned Parenthood or employment of a past employee or representative of Planned Parenthood, unless the employee has clearly disavowed support for the organization and indicated full agreement with Catholic teaching
As in 2011, the relationships include referrals to Planned Parenthood for “health” services, internships and fellowships with Planned Parenthood, unapologetic disclosures of employees’ past work with Planned Parenthood, and other ties. The problems are again spread across many institutions, with a high concentration of Jesuit colleges.
We repeat our conclusion four years ago:
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.
Furthermore, any relationship to Planned Parenthood endangers students who may develop a sense of comfort with an organization that destroys innocent lives, ruins souls, and plays a leading role in the demise of American culture. A Catholic educator who cares for the wellbeing of students would do everything possible to dissuade a student from entering the doors of a Planned Parenthood clinic. Nothing good can come of it.
Finally, the 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. There appears to be a pervasive attitude toward Planned Parenthood that regards the abortion and contraceptive agency as benign. This attitude is simply inconsistent with a genuine Catholic sensibility.
We urge Catholic colleges and universities to embrace a no-tolerance position for any relationship with Planned Parenthood—including disqualifying candidates for teaching positions with previous experience working with or for pro-abortion organizations.
There are matters of Catholic identity which require discernment and which may not point to simple solutions. There is no such nuance here—Planned Parenthood is a serious danger to the health, lives and souls of innocent students. There is no place for Planned Parenthood on a Catholic campus.
