California Catholic School Cancels Speech With Pro-Abortion Hispanic Activist 
Email this article
Printer friendly page
RSS Newsfeed
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 5, 2008
Bakersfield, CA (LifeNews.com) — Another Catholic school has canceled a speech with pro-abortion Hispanic activist Dolores Huerta after learning about her activist position in favor of abortion. The decision by the California-based Our Lady of Guadalupe School comes after University of St. Thomas in Houston canceled a speech involving her.
Students at the Catholic elementary school issued Huerta an invitation to speak after learning that she was the co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America.
However, the school revoked the invitation because of her pro-abortion views. According to the California Catholic Daily, parents called to complain about the invite.
Parent Steve Loftus said his son was asked to write an assignment about Huerta after a teacher praised her. He wrote a strongly-worded letter to complain but never received a response from school officials.
“I’m paying for a Catholic education and that’s what I expect to get,” he said. “They should be teaching our children to be members of the Church Militant.”
The Catholic newspaper contacted Sister Eva Lujano, who refused to commit to canceling the Huerta speech and professed to be unaware of her abortion advocacy.
It later contacted Richard Sexton, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Fresno, he was unaware as well and would not commit to canceling the event — saying it was a parish school decision.
Sexton said he would look into the matter and, 30 minutes after the conversation wit the Catholic paper, the school scrapped the event.
Last month, University of St. Thomas president Robert Ivan won praise from pro-life advocates for stopping a Huerta speaking engagement there.
Huerta had been invited to help launch the Latin American and Latino Studies program.
Huerta been awarded by Planned Parenthood in March 2007 with a top honor for her abortion advocacy.
Huerta has also come under fire for lobbying key labor unions in California in 2006 to oppose Proposition 85, a constitutional amendment that would require abortion practitioners to notify parents of a teen before doing an abortion on her.
She worked with the pro-abortion Feminist Majority Foundation to get the AFL-CIO Executive Council to reverse its "no recommendation" stance on the ballot measure to a solid "vote no" position.
Huerta called the labor union position change a "smashing victory" for abortion advocates.
ACTION: Contact Our Lady of Guadalupe School and urge officials there not to invite any more pro-abortion speakers. Write to 609 E California Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93307, call (661) 322-1478, Fax (661) 323-6058 or email [email protected].
