A Christian college in Washington state is promoting Planned Parenthood through fliers around campus, textbooks discussing the healthful benefits of procuring an abortion before age 21, and lectures on the beneficence of fetal-tissue research.
Whitworth University also lists Planned Parenthood as one of its “community partners” and allows students to take accredited internships with the abortion giant.
James Silberman, a senior at the Spokane liberal arts college, detailed the connection between Planned Parenthood and his school in an editorial for The Whitworthian earlier this month.
He called on the school to cut its ties with the nation’s largest abortion provider, writing that “a Christian institution whose mission is ’equipping its graduates to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity’ should have nothing to do” with Planned Parenthood.
“The mere fact that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest human butcher shop should be enough for the school to cut ties,” he wrote. “Through the manipulation of language, Planned Parenthood frames itself as an organization that does good and provides health care. However, real health care providers don’t stop tens of thousands of beating hearts each year.”
Mr. Silberman pointed to two classes offered at Whitworth that promote abortion. The first, Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS 201), uses a textbook that “depicts pro-life people as violent misogynists,” he said. The second, Health Science 385, uses a textbook which claims women who procure an abortion before age 21 fare better in life than women who do not.
He also said there are fliers “referring pregnant women to Planned Parenthood” around campus, although they also list a crisis pregnancy center.
Additionally, Whitworth sponsored an event in March titled “Precious Gifts: The Stewardship of Fetal Tissue,” a summary of which described undercover videos alleging Planned Parenthood trafficks in fetal body parts for profit as “heavily edited” and “cavalier.”
And students at the Christian college were given a chance to lend a helping hand at the local abortion facility, when Planned Parenthood was given a booth at Whitworth’s recent school volunteer fair.
When asked for comment by Mr. Silberman, Whitworth associate provost Randy Michaelis said Planned Parenthood should be afforded a platform on campus because “well-meaning, thoughtful Christians disagree about a number of social issues.”
Whitworth is not the only Christian college that fosters relationships between its students and the abortion lobby.
Texas Christian University also offers students credit for internships with Planned Parenthood, saying it “strives to provide diverse learning opportunities for students to effectively prepare them for the global community.”
The editorial sparked a backlash on campus, with several students and recent alumni writing letters to the editor to defend the school’s partnership with Planned Parenthood.
Senior Camina Hirota responded that it is “not a man’s place to decide what a woman does with her body.”
“The argument that James makes is perpetuating the oppressive stance in opposition to a woman’s right to choose by politicians who think they have a right to make women’s most personal, sensitive health care decisions for them,” Ms. Hirota wrote.
She also cautioned against assuming that it is only women who procure abortions.
“Also — A reminder that it’s not only women who get abortions, and we should include folks like trans men, non-binary people, and gender non-conforming folks in the conversation too!” she wrote. “Abortion rhetoric is highly gendered.”
The editorial also preceded protests on campus between pro-life and pro-choice students.
Whitworth Students for Life hosted a display on Tuesday depicting the “Cycle of Corruption” through which Planned Parenthood obtains taxpayer funding and then works to elect Democratic politicians who will keep that revenue stream open.
The pro-life club was countered by a group of students supporting Planned Parenthood, who hung a banner behind the display reading, “We stand with Planned Parenthood,” and wore T-shirts depicting coat hangers and inscribed with “#neveragain.”
Pointing to several incidents in which the Whitworth administration has made things difficult for pro-life advocates on campus, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said the school is “setting a horrible example of Christian morality for their students.”
“We call on the school, along with the leaders of Whitworth Students for Life, to permanently cut ties with Planned Parenthood and promote lifesaving alternatives to pregnant women on campus,” Ms. Hawkins said in a statement.
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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