Let A Case Be Made For Both Viewpoints Allow Debate Best Way To Learn Is A Robust Debate.

The president of Gonzaga University recently refused to let a Planned Parenthood representative speak to the Women’s Studies Club. In doing so he brought more attention to the abortion issue than would’ve otherwise occurred. After all, a “Planned Parenthood Backs Reproductive Rights” headline is no match for “University Squelches Opposition.”

We respect the difficult position the Rev. Robert Spitzer was in. As he stated, he is charged with upholding traditions of the school and the interests of its stakeholders. But what happens when stakeholders (trustees, donors, parents, faculty, students, the Catholic Church) have disparate interests? One answer is to turn to the university’s mission statement, which, in part, says, “We seek to understand the world we live in. It is a world of great technological progress, scientific complexity and competing ideologies.”

Father Spitzer noted that he was motivated not by what Planned Parenthood says but what it does. But he misrepresented the organization in an e-mail to faculty and staff. To wit: “They are one of the largest abortion providers in the United States, and they have an aggressive political agenda to promote this.”

Among its many services, Planned Parenthood counsels women who are considering abortion to carefully weigh the decision. One of its pieces of advice is to consult with clergy. It does not tout abortion over other choices.

We recognize that a private institution is under no obligation to host opposing viewpoints. But we would hope that academic freedom and respect for its students’ critical thinking skills would carry the day.

As one GU professor pointed out, Sen. John McCain defends capital punishment, which is contrary to the church’s position, yet he was invited to the campus. Was that an embarrassment to stakeholders?

The abortion debate should be just that - a debate. The church begs the question of whether life begins at conception by stating that any other view is immoral. If Gonzaga’s institutional view is morally and intellectually superior, it has nothing to fear in the marketplace of ideas.

In fact, a debate can only help the church, which is facing the uncomfortable truth that a majority of Catholics believe a woman who has had an abortion can still be a good Catholic. Stifling viewpoints to protect Absolute Truth will not change that.