A Vermont student is making a fuss after her Catholic college refused to give her credit for an internship with Planned Parenthood.
Erin Irons, a senior at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, applied to intern at the abortion business’s New England affiliate this summer and was approved, according to a report from the Vermont Seven Days. When she contacted the college to request credit for the internship, the college refused.
Karen Talentino, vice president for academic affairs at the college, told the news outlet that the college did not approve the credits because Planned Parenthood’s abortion practices go against Catholic teachings.
“One of [the Catholic church’s] most fundamental convictions is that abortion is sin and is murder of a living person, so given that we are a Catholic college, I think it makes sense that we would not form a formal relationship with an organization that not only performs abortions but is an advocate for continuing to perform abortions,” Talentino said.
The college newspaper reports more on the issue:
Talentino said that even though Planned Parenthood offers a wide variety of services past abortion and contraception, it is still most credited and distinct for those particular services. The flurry of controversy surrounding the organization in the government lately only adds to the opposition of the college’s sponsorship of the internship.
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“Planned Parenthood is a political lightning rod right now,” Talentino said.
The limitation on student internships conflicting with the Catholic mission extends to other aspects of St. Michael’s as well. The college does not invite commencement speakers or have honorary degree candidates who are very actively involved in pro-choice movements.
Irons, a double major in history and political science with a minor in gender studies, is not satisfied, though.
“If anything was to prepare me for the quote unquote real world, it would have been this internship,” she told the news outlet.
The young woman, who was raised Catholic but isn’t now, is asking the college to provide more details about its internship policy, specifically which organizations it would not approve for student internships.
Talentino said the college wants to help Irons find another internship that would not conflict with the college’s Catholic mission.
The school previously refused to approve credit for another student’s internship with Planned Parenthood in 2011, according to the college newspaper.
The nation’s largest abortion chain is known for targeting college students with its pro-abortion agenda. And while Planned Parenthood supporters emphasize its non-abortion services, the abortion business performs more abortions than any other group in the nation.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: Anti-abortion protesters attend the March for Life on January 25, 2013 in Washington, DC. The pro-life gathering is held each year around the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
