Two panelists invited to attend an ethics conference at Carroll College next week have been removed from the list of participants, one of them — a representative of Planned Parenthood — by the school’s president.
Carroll College President Tom Trebon withdrew the school’s invitation to Sarah Fredrickson of Planned Parenthood of Montana last week, saying the college was fundamentally opposed to the health-care provider’s practices, which include abortion and birth control.
Trebon said Thursday he discussed the issue at length with members of Carroll’s faculty, staff, board members, and various community members before reaching his decision. He then met personally with Fredrickson and asked her to withdraw from the seminar.
"Planned Parenthood’s stance on certain issues, including abortion and reproductive rights, violate Carroll College’s mission as a Diocesan Catholic college," Trebon said Thursday. "I believe the presence of a representative of Planned Parenthood on a panel at a public gathering on campus would violate the college’s mission, mission statement, and commitment to Catholic values and ideals."
The school’s decision to withdraw Fredrickson’s invitation has been decried by some faculty members as censorship and an attempt to silence a controversial debate. E-mails circulating this week noted that a college should provide a platform to discuss societal issues no matter how contentious. Some feared Carroll’s reputation would suffer as a result of its decision. [Source]
The common dodge is invoked about censorship, though you can be sure that a panel discussing racism would balk at the idea of bringing the KKK in. As for Carroll’s reputation suffering, it would suffer worse in my opinion for allowing someone from Planned Parenthood to be involved. For them contentious issues are in the eye of the beholder and are acceptable just as long as it isn’t a subject they hold as contentious. After all it wasn’t some right wing censorship zealots that invented free speech zones on campuses.
Jensen said that Planned Parenthood promotes and provides women’s health care and family planning. The organization saw 21,000 patients last year in Helena, many of them living at the poverty level, Jensen said.
"We do so many wonderful things for so many people," Jensen said. "Carroll is an academic institution where all sides of an issue should be openly discussed. It’s unfortunate we’re not being included."
Oh isn’t abortion just so wonderful. The intentional murder of a human being just shouts out wonderfulness. The conference is called "Living Life at Death’s Doorway," and so many of death’s doorways lead to abortion clinics.
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“We do so many wonderful things for so many people.” Speaking of which, have you heard that Planned Parenthood clincs in the gulfcoast region are offering free contraceptives and morning after pills to any woman affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath! I think I read it on Lifesite! They did the same when terrorists flew 2 jumbo jets into skyscrapers 4 years ago! What kind of help is that? What is the matter with the public that they believe this unbelievable bunk?
Isn’t the state I live in a wonderful state? Blech. I have to deal with this kind of crap all the time in Montana.
The mission, spreading the Gospel, is more important than censorship. Christ received the ultimate censorship, and that stopped him not one bit. It should not stop us either.
But God doesnt give Satan the ambo.
QUESTION: How in the world do these folks get invited to Catholic colleges and other institutions in the first place?
This is hardly the first time I’ve heard of some pro-abortionist or the like being invited to speak. It’s not as though we have a dearth of incredibly intelligent, well-spoken people out there to choose from, so… why?
We are convinced of the truth of the catholic moral positions, and we have the arguments to back it up.
so why do we fear Planned Parenthood participating in a Panel then ? Ok, I am not advocating a speach or a honorary degree by them, but why shouldn’t they be included in a Panel with sufficient catholic brain power on it, which should be able to refute their ideas ?
Don’t we deny students the opportunity to hear a catholic reply to their attacks ? We can’t isolate students in such a way that those ideas will not get to them, so why not take the chance to counter them head on ?
Its not a debate, its an ethics conference. It would make more sense to invite the pro-abort if this was a debate. Might be nice see a pro-abortion cavalier running into an intellectual phalanx.