The following comes from a May 6 story on the website of the Cardinal Newman Society.

An alumni group committed to protecting the Catholic identity of Loyola Marymount University is calling on President David Burcham to rescind an invitation to the president of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles to speak on the Jesuit campus, according to RenewLMU’s website.

Sue Dunlap, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, is scheduled to speak about “Education’s New Role in Women’s Health” as part of the TEDxLoyolaMarymountU conference taking place on campus later this month.

LMU’s School of Education is, according to RenewLMU, listed as the sponsor of the conference.  The dean of the School of Education is Professor Shane Martin, who chaired the search committee for a new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and recently selected Robbin Crabtree, who previously worked with a Planned Parenthood-sponsored clinic.

RenewLMU, in their open letter to President Burcham, wrote:

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.

We are asking you to immediately withdraw the invitation to the President of Planned Parenthood to speak at Loyola Marymount University.

Last year, in his convocation address, President Burcham characterized abortion as “first and foremost primarily women’s issues,” RenewLMU reported.  He also vowed that the “pall of orthodoxy” would not “shackle” the Los Angeles-based Jesuit University.

See more here.