Christian university drops Planned Parenthood from its internship program

A Christian university in Spokane, Washington has dropped abortion provider Planned Parenthood from its internship program following protests from pro-life students.

Whitworth University, which bills itself as a Christian school of higher education, has listed Planned Parenthood as a "community partner" on its website and has offered for-credit internships at the abortion organization.

In October 2016, the Students for Life group launched a petition calling on the university to sever its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

In an email to the campus on Tuesday, Whitworth University President Beck Taylor said that the school will end its "formal partnership" with the abortion provider at the end of the academic year.

"I recently instructed the Dornsife Center for Community Engagement not to renew that relationship," Taylor wrote, according to Students for Life of America.

"This is the only formal partnership the university currently has with Planned Parenthood. At the end of the current academic year, Whitworth will no longer offer credit-bearing service-learning placements or internships with the organization," he continued.

Taylor noted that the school's affiliation with Planned Parenthood has been "limited and tangential," The College Fix reported. He explained that the university's relationship with the abortion provider "sends the unintended message to many that Whitworth has taken a side in this social and political debate [about abortion]."

However, the university president stated that the administration and student government will be working to set up a pro-choice club in the school.

Taylor explained that having both pro-life and pro-choice organizations would contribute to the intellectual discourse on the campus and would exemplify the university's commitment to free expression.

In an op-ed in October, Whitworth Students For Life Vice-President James Silberman revealed that some classes at Whitworth portray Planned Parenthood positively while depicting pro-lifers as "violent misogynists."

Silberman said that the school also promotes abortion to students via "flyer cards" around campus that refer pregnant women to the abortion provider. He accused the university of being hypocritical for its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

Taylor noted that some people would have difficulties in understanding why a Christian university would partner with an organization that provides "abortion-related" services. However, he also stated that other people will be discouraged by the school's decision to dissolve its relationship with an organization that provides access to "health-related services to women and communities."

Students for Life of America described the tone of Taylor's email as "pained" and factually "inaccurate" for saying that Planned Parenthood provides "abortion-related services" rather than abortions. However, the group stated that the university's decision was a "big step in the right direction."