Catholic university’s invite of Planned Parenthood leader draws criticism

A Catholic university that is starting to resemble a Planned Parenthood propaganda mill is under fire again.

Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a Jesuit Catholic school, has invited the president of Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles to speak at the university later this month. RenewLMU, a group of people associated with LMU and working to foster its Catholic identity again, is protesting this incongruous invite in an open letter to LMU’s president.

The letter asks LMU president David W. Burcham to withdraw the invitation made to Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles:

“On May 17th 2014, Sue Dunlap, President of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, is scheduled to speak at Loyola Marymount University. LMU’s School of Education, led by Dean Shane Martin, is listed as the sponsor of this TEDxLoyolaMarymountU conference. Martin chaired the search committee that brought LMU a new Dean of Liberal Arts, Robbin Crabtree, an atheist who served Planned Parenthood and another pro-abortion organization for years.

“In your most recent convocation address as President of LMU, you characterized abortion and coverage of abortion as ‘first and foremost primarily women’s issues.’ In fact, abortion does not only involve a woman, but also involves the death of her son or her daughter prior to birth. LMU’s Vice President for Mission and Ministry, Father Robert Caro, S.J. reminded the University community earlier this academic year that abortion is properly characterized as an issue of justice and faith, and of our Jesuit and Marymount heritage.

“Given LMU’s commitment to diversity, LMU would never give the leader of an organization responsible for promoting and performing racist actions the honor of a speaking platform at LMU, especially in the form of a Tedtalk video that may well be seen by thousands or even millions of people. Given LMU’s stated commitment to justice for the unborn and Roman Catholicism, no platform should be given to the leader of an organization responsible for committing countless acts of injustice against children in utero. Just as there should be no public and lasting link between LMU and an organization engaged in racist activities, so too there should be no public and lasting link between LMU and the largest provider of abortion in the United States. Already, even high school students are being encouraged to participate in what is described as an LMU hosted event.

Sadly, this incident is not isolated at LMU. The university came under fire less than two months ago when it named two former Planned Parenthood workers as finalists for the position of Dean of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, one of whom was hired.

LMU, which has several pro-choice student organizations, doesn’t have a pro-life student organization, RenewLMU notes on its Year in Review page.  RenewLMU chronicles a host of other anti-Catholic, anti-life offenses, including health insurance which provides elective abortion coverage, declining Jesuit faculty and students, and playing host to a number of pro-abortion politicians.

RenewLMU’s open letter to President Buchman is available here for those who wish to sign and register their protest against the continued propagation of Planned Parenthood at a Catholic university.