Just before students began returning to classes, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new policy that would require all group health care plans provided by employers – including many Catholic institutions – to cover prescription contraceptives and sterilization for women.

The Interim Final Rules on Preventive Services (76 Fed. Reg. 46621, Aug. 3, 2011), consider contraceptives and sterilization to be “preventative” services that must be provided free of charge in insurance plans.

The HHS policy does contain a “conscience clause” for religious employers who wish to abstain from covering contraceptives for religious reasons.  However, the exemption is very narrow, with organizations qualifying only if:

(1) The inculcation of religious values is the purpose of the organization.  (2) The organization primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the organization.  (3) The organization serves primarily persons who share the religious tenets of the organization.

Dear Class of 2015,

Do you want to continue working on a newspaper like you did in high school?

Are you interested in pursuing journalism as a career?

Are you looking to try something new at Boston College and meet some great people in the process?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” join The Observer at Boston College! We are an independent campus paper that is looking for incoming freshmen who are interested in journalism, writing, politics, photography, web design, layout, and film. This fall, we will have staff positions available in news, opinions, business, Catholic issues, sports, photography, layout, web development, and video!

If you are interested, fill out the form below!

*(denotes required field)

Name:*

E-Mail Address:*

Phone (optional)

Class*

Interests

Experience

CAPTCHA Code:*

Andy Rota/The Observer

Gandhi Statue at the STM

Students and passersby alike were puzzled by the choice of a non-Catholic to serve as the focal point of the entrance to a Catholic institution during the Lenten season.

The statue, which is on loan from the Peace Abbey, an interfaith nonprofit organization, serves as a part of STM’s “Lenten Focus on Gandhi, Peace, and Nonviolence.”

As writer Father Paul Zalonski remarked, “I wonder if anyone at a Jesuit school of theology and ministry ever thought of focusing on one of the great spiritual fathers and mothers of the Church for Lenten prayer and readings?”

He continues, “This is not only a question of Catholic identity at a supposed Catholic institution of higher education, but a question of formation for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. It is a question of helping each other know their destiny in Jesus Christ.”

The University aspires to elevate the School of Theology and Ministry to “the world’s leading Catholic and theological center” through the 10-Year Institutional Master Plan.

As the School’s mission statement declares, “The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry is an international theological center that serves the Church’s mission in the world as part of a Catholic and Jesuit university.”

The Mission Statement also boasts that the School is committed first and foremost to “the Catholic theological tradition.”

Anthony Russo/The Observer

The BC Irish Dance Club "elevates" the Irish spirit in Robsham theater.

At the school’s Robsham Theater, the BC Irish Dance Club once again graced the main stage for their fourth annual St. Patrick’s Day Show.

For their second show of the year in Robsham, the club put on “Elevation,” a performance of Irish Dance with both traditional and modern elements. The Club boasts over thirty dancers this year – a number that has grown since the organization’s start in 2007.

Students and families alike gathered in the lobby for the show, mostly dressed in the holiday’s signature green and shamrocks. As audience members entered the theater, traditional Irish music from three live musicians floated from the stage. The small troupe – made up of two students, one on the flute and the other on the violin – joined an acoustic guitarist to prime the audience with traditional cultural tunes.

The show commenced with a number featuring every BCID dancer, each clad in the club’s Elevation show tee shirt. Blue swirled across the stage as the girls clacked along to the title track in intricate line formations. The dance number was choreographed by the officers of the club themselves. The sight of every dancer on the stage at the same time, along with the dancers’ synchronized steps, prepared the audience for what was a vivacious and perfected performance.

Sixteen different dance pieces comprised Elevation, each one choreographed by a different officer or club participant. Most of the dance numbers were traditional in style, with others incorporating the flair of Flamenco or elements of gypsy dance.

The dancers wore both soft and hard shoes, which allowed the girls’ feet to create a soundtrack of their own while they danced across the stage. The performance was a meld of traditional steps such as reels, horn pipes, slip jigs, and hard jigs. In one number, the BCID dancers offered the audience a look at the traditional garb worn by competitive Irish dancers, as three girls danced in customary dresses.

The traditional elements were artfully balanced by modern musical pieces; the girls stepped to recognizable tracks such as “Sweet Dreams” by Beyonce, “C’est La Vie” by the 90s girl group B*Witched, and “Papa Americano,” a current radio hit. The club even included a song from the film Boondock Saints, an Irish culture favorite.

The show’s star piece before intermission was “Shipping Up to Boston,” a hard shoe jig in which every BCID girl danced to the Dropkick Murphys’ song and donned some form of Boston pride: Red Sox, Celtics, or even Boston College Superfan attire. The audience clapped, cheered and whooped the whole show – a behavior that is actually encouraged and enjoyed at mostly all traditional Irish dance performances.

“We are all really happy with how it turned out and we sold out for the second year in a row, so that was an accomplishment,” says Elizabeth Woods ’11, a BCID member and an Irish dancer since age three.

Almost every girl in the club has been Irish dancing for seven years or more, training at Irish dance academies across the country and competing in regional and international championships. BCID has been featured in “Irish Dancers’ Magazine” twice as one of the strongest collegiate level teams in the country. The team proves a talented and spirited group of girls that spent the last year devoting their time and honing their experiences to make “Elevation” a memorable performance. It was just what BC students and Boston residents alike needed to get “elevated” into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day.

BC to Honor Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J.

A celebration honoring the life and work of Robert Drinan, a Jesuit and former Massachusetts congressman, will take place at the Boston College Law School.  The panel, which will take place on March 7, was announced on Friday, February 18, and will feature other pro-abortion speakers.

Among the members of the panel is Fr. Raymond Scroth, S.J., who has publicly supported pro-abortion political policy.  He has recently published a book entitled, Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress.  Also scheduled for the panel is Congressman Barney Frank, whom the Cardinal Newman Society calls “a strident defender of legal abortion.” An article on Lifesitenews.com remarks that Frank’s “opposition to Church teachings is well-known in both personal and political life.”

Robert Drinan, a native of Massachusetts, graduated from Boston College in 1942.  That same year, he joined the Society of Jesus.  From 1956 to 1970, Drinan served as the Dean of the Boston College Law School.  In 1970, the Jesuit was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served for twenty years.

During his tenure in Congress, Drinan became notorious for his support of abortion, which drew considerable criticism both from the Church and other pro-life advocates.  In addition, Drinan is known for having influenced the Kennedy family into adopting pro-choice politics.

In 1980, following a request from Pope John Paul II that all priests withdraw from electoral politics, Drinan did not seek reelection.  From 1981 until his death, Drinan taught at Georgetown Law.

Despite ending his political career, Drinan remained an advocate for pro-choice.  In 1996, the Jesuit spoke out in favor of President Bill Clinton’s veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.  According to a 1997 article in The Boston Globe, Drinan apologized for his support of the Act.  However, as the Cardinal Newman Society expressed, “Unfortunately, Father Drinan did not, to our knowledge, recant or apologize for his many years of support for legal abortion.”

The Cardinal Newman Society published an open letter to Father William Leahy, S.J., President of Boston College, urging him to reconsider hosting this event on campus.

Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society writes, “Whatever Father Drinan’s contributions to Boston College over the years, and despite his perhaps laudable efforts on other human rights issues, his record on abortion should disqualify him from any honors by a Catholic institution.  To celebrate his legacy is a public dishonor to the souls of the millions slaughtered in the name of ‘choice.’  It would also seem to be a flagrant violation of the US bishops’ 2004 ban on honors for those who are opposed to Church teachings.”

He continues, “Father Leahy, on behalf of the members of the Cardinal Newman Society–including not a small number of BC alumni–and so many of the faithful working everyday to end the scourge of abortion, I prayerfully urge you to cancel this event immediately and to develop policies for Boston College that ensures that future honors conform to both the bishops’ sensible 2004 honors policy and Ex corde Ecclesiae.”

Persons who do not support the event on the Boston College Campus have been urged by both the Cardinal Newman Society and LifeSiteNews.com to contact Father Leahy.

Pro-Life Club Marches in DC

This past weekend, the Boston College Pro-Life Club sponsored a trip to Washington D.C. to participate in the annual March for Life and Students for Life of America (SFLA) Conference.  BC has sent contingents of students to participate in both events for the past several years.  “Annual participation is important because it connects our group with the national pro-life movement,” said Billy Cody, A&S’11 and one of the organizers of the trip. “It’s exciting and inspiring to see so many young people witnessing to life, defending the unborn.”  The March drew over 200,000 demonstrators to our nation’s capital city. Originally the event drew 20,000 when it first began in the 1970’s.

In addition to the March and the Conference, participants attended the Mass for Life celebrated in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception near the Catholic University of America.   The Society of Jesus also offered a similar Mass the morning of the March at Gonzaga High School.  The homily was preached by Deacon Aaron Pidel, SJ, Jesuit scholastic and student at the BC School of Theology and Ministry.

Normally, Boston College’s participation has consisted of flying into Washington for the entire weekend.  That way all students have the chance to participate in the SFLA Conference.  The new Pro-Life Club president, Katelyn Conroy, A&S ’14, said that “in addition to showing support for our cause in D.C., annual participation is important because it builds enthusiasm among group members, which helps us spread the word around campus when we return.”

This year, in addition to the weekend trip, the Pro-Life Club also offered a bus trip for the day of the March only.  “The bus trip provides a cheaper and more convenient opportunity to participate in the march,” explained Pro-Life Club Vice-President Ben Martin, A&S ’13, “We hope that in future years we will be able to provide this for free and that many more students will attend; they only have to be willing to give up one day of school.”

About 50 people total are traveling with Boston College, including but not limited to, BC undergraduate students.  For the first time, those traveling with BC include a few individuals from the School of Theology and Ministry, Northeastern University, and MIT.

The March is the high point of the Pro-Life Club’s year, but the club organizes events throughout both semesters.  “My hope for the semester is to increase awareness of the resources on campus to women who choice life,” Conroy pointed out, “Also, we plan on having another celebrate life day and on having speakers throughout the semester.” Martin added, “We have not finalized plans for the [upcoming] semester, as most planning usually happens after the march, but a schedule of events will be forthcoming. Kate and I will have to meet to discuss the identity of the club, the strategy of the club, and individual events to sponsor.”

2010: Observer Photos

Happy New Year! 2010 was an exciting year for The Observer (CN Paper of the Year) and we’re even more excited about 2011!

Below are the dates for the six new issues we will be publishing during the Spring 2011 semester!

• January 25^th,
• February 8^th,
• February 22^nd,
• March 22^nd,
• April 5^th,
• April 20^th

Dana Betts

Santa asks two excited children about their Christmas wishes

Recently, BC students were offered an exception to the normal O’Neill routine as the Undergraduate Government of Boston College ignited the Heights with the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  For many, this event was the perfect kick off to the holidays, getting students, faculty, and general passersby in the holiday spirit.

The event featured free hot chocolate stations, cookie decorating, special Christmas performances by the many BC Acapella groups and Bell Choir, a talk from Father Leahy, and one very special guest: the father of Christmas himself—Santa Claus.

The annual celebration offers members of the Boston College community, past and present, the opportunity to celebrate the jolly spirit typical of BC during the holidays with all members of the community, including undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and the general public.  The free food, games, and of course, pictures with Santa Claus, make the gathering a worthwhile experience, whether one stops by for ten minutes or two hours of merriment.

For many, the annual tree lighting is a yearly activity to share with classmates, roommates, friends, and family.  “My roommates and I look forward to this each year,” said student Katharine Burkland.  “It’s becoming a BC holiday tradition for us.  We look forward to coming back from Thanksgiving weekend and getting right into the holiday spirit.  The Christmas tree lighting has become the perfect way for us to do just that. The free cookies and hot chocolate aren’t a bad bonus, either.”

Classmate Colleen Bingle agrees: “It’s just such a great event.  You can stop by for five minutes, stumble upon it by accident on your way to the library, or stick around to hear the Acapella performances.  Either way, the Christmas tree lighting is, without a doubt, a great night for BC.  I even got a picture with Santa!”

Despite the long lines of restless eagles hopeful for a snapshot with the beloved Kris Kringle, many were thrilled with their souvenir to remember the occasion.

For some students like Tess Keeley, the lighting provides a brief break from the anticipatory stress of finals. “The location is perfect.  I’ve been in the library working all day.  I came out to listen to some music, watch the tree lighting, and to get some free hot chocolate.  And now I’m going back to do work,” she said with a chuckle as she made her way back to thrust herself into her Art History textbook.  Many students share the same sentiment, and appreciate the small but nonetheless helpful treats that UGBC sponsors in order to alleviate the end of semester stress.

As Christmas break rapidly approaches and the end of the first semester arrives, the Christmas tree lighting highlights the spirit of the holiday season, brings friends together, and provides a break from the stress of impending finals.  UGBC’s commendable efforts do not go unnoticed by students.

The Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) have become more noticeable on campus lately.  The group’s recent actions, such as distributing condoms, protesting the Pro-Life Club, and hosting “Sex Toy Bingo,” all force Boston College to assess its mission as a Catholic school. To aid in that project, The Observer set out to find what exactly BC thinks of this group and its existence on campus.  Several administrators shared their personal thoughts about the group and in which direction Boston College should move.

Dr. Patrick Rombalski, Vice President of Student Affairs, said that “[BCSSH] are not a recognized student organization nor have they attempted to become one. At Boston College, they do not have the rights that recognized organizations hold such as reserving a room or sponsoring a program on campus.”  He added that while their activity on campus is limited by their non-official status, “many of their members are Boston College students who are active in our community in a variety of capacities, such as a residence hall community member, leader in a recognized student organization, or tutor.”  With regards to any concerns the administration may have regarding their presence, he said, “My office welcomes the dialogue that has occurred on campus over the past two years on the overall topic of health and the more specific topic of sexual health. In fact, the Division of Student Affairs has reorganized because of our recognition that heath education is an important educational responsibility of the University… We fully support a conversation on sexual health within a moral context. However, we cannot talk about sexuality, just as we cannot talk about any other aspect of what it is to be human, apart from our values. Boston College will not take an institutional position contrary to its own values and it cannot and will not make exceptions to this stance.”

Christopher Darcy, Associate Director of Student Formation Programs at Residential Life, had the following to say: “[BCSSH] is not a recognized group, but a lot of them want to get more involved and make sure students make the best choices… While we cannot support the distribution of condoms because of the uniqueness and tradition at BC, it is very Ignatian to embrace many peoples.  There is always room to collaborate.”  He added, “The problem is when a group veers away from this framework.”  In hosting panels on sex and dating, his office has been at the forefront of the conversation he sees as necessary for success regarding sexual health.  “Students want more than the hook-up culture.  People need to understand what it means to go on a date.”  He went on to say that while “it’s not ResLife’s job to make students say ‘no’ to hooking-up, we can propose alternatives.”  He praised the “wonderful array of resources” for BC students, who he described as “intelligent and worldly.”  “We have a lot of work to do,” he concluded, “but I wouldn’t be doing it anywhere else.”

Dr. Paul Chebator of the Office of the Dean for Student Development said that “BCSSH operates independently of BC,” but also that, “the issues they raise are important issues, the most important of which is dialogue.” Like ResLife, ODSD has helped sponsor talks and panel discussions.  “The most important thing that has to happen is a conversation before decisions are made.  This is lacking because of the hook-up culture.”  He lamented that “the idea of human virtue is short-sided by a form of hedonism,” and that “students follow what they perceive to be the norm, especially with the influence of alcohol.”  He argued that students who come to BC already know the mechanics of sex.  “‘Plumbing’ isn’t the issue,” he said, “rather it’s the conversation between partners that needs to be discussed… It’s a difficult issue for 18-22 year-olds, and it’s a difficult issue for the Church.”

Dr. Thomas McGuinness, Director of University Counseling Services and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs overseeing both Health Services and the new Office of Health Promotion spoke to us on behalf of his office and Women’s Resources.  He has been active in establishing a new position, Director of Health Promotion, who will address many health-related questions, chairing a Committee on Health and Wellness which addressed “very generally” issues such as alcohol, sex, body image, and stress, and meeting personally with BCSSH.  “They are very concerned, and they have a very different perspective on what’s good for students.  Their view [about condoms] is normative at most secular universities.”  He said that “there are a lot of misconceptions about health services and STIs.”  He clarified that testing is done by health services, but the question is who pays for the services.  “If STI testing is to be free to students, somebody still has to pay for it. We want them to get tested, and we want them to be diagnosed and treated if they need it.”

He spoke more generally about the campus attitude towards sex: “People are afraid to be attacked from the left and the right if we address sex.  We need to make it OK to talk about sexuality, because it’s more than just sex.  It’s the concept of relationships, morals, and values… we need a lot of one-on-one conversations about relationships and sexuality, but it’s more complicated on the policy or macro level.  We should debate these issues.  It’s a university, and that’s what we do.”

BC Law removes pro bono page with Planned Parenthood link

The list of pro-bono organizations on BC Law’s website, which included contact information for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, has now been removed.

Nate Kenyon, Director of Marketing and Communications at BC Law, said that the page was removed as part of an ongoing revision of the law school website.

“The pro bono site hadn’t been updated in years, and one of the things we’ve discovered after investigating a bit is that our students weren’t using the listings of organizations.”

“Frankly, it wasn’t clear to anyone here how that list was even put together and posted in the first place, and much of the content was out of date,” said Kenyon.

Earlier this year, The Observer published an article drawing attention to the abortion clinic link on BC Law’s list of pro bono organizations.  At the time, Kenyon said “[The] links do not imply a Boston College endorsement of any organization,” and that BC Law felt that its students could “educate themselves and make their own decisions based on what’s best for them.”

Following the article, several other organizations, including Life News, reported the apparent inconsistency between BC’s Jesuit identity and the abortion clinic link.

TFP Student Action, a project of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, launched an e-protest in early October to request that BC Law remove the Planned Parenthood link from their website.  John Ritchie, director of TFP Student Action, said the organization collected 6,870 protest petitions to remove the Planned Parenthood link from BC’s website.

Laura Balch, president of Lex Vitae, the BC Law student pro-life society, was pleased that BC Law is no longer listing Planned Parenthood as a suggestion where students should volunteer their time.

“Being Jesuit means we are also Catholic, [which] calls us to a higher level of responsibility when we do pro bono work,” said Balch.

She emphasized the value that BC Law offers its students as a Jesuit school.  “Having a Catholic and Jesuit identity means that you can stand apart from secular institutions.”

Balch said that BC Law demonstrates its commitment to its Catholic identity by doing “small things, like taking down the Planned Parenthood link and not putting it back up.”

Kenyon affirmed that the list of pro bono organizations will likely not be returning to the website.

“I don’t think we’ll have a listing on the site. It just wasn’t useful for students, and it doesn’t make sense for us to have to update it, making sure the links work and the information is current,” said Kenyon.

As college campuses are notoriously liberal, the percentages of faculty donations to Democratic and Republican campaigns are typically predictable figures. Boston College falls among these liberal institutions as many of its professors donate regularly to Democratic campaigns.

The Huffington Post’s 2008 analysis of campaign donations made by BC professors supported the fact that 94% of faculty donations, a total of $53,753, went to Democratic campaigns, while a mere 6% was contributed to Republican campaigns. Obviously, these figures demonstrate the faculty’s political homogeneity as of 2008.

However, this liberal pattern now appears at first glance to have been broken. Presently, the Huffington Post shows that 62% of campaign donations, a total of $4,150, made by Boston College faculty members have been made to Republican campaigns.

Upon analyzing this figure, one realizes that it does not indicate that the Boston College faculty has suddenly become incredibly politically diverse. As Dennis Hale, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, advised, “It is always important, when looking at statistics, to know what the sample was, including how large it was: in a small sample a single outlier can create a big (and possibly misleading) difference”.

First, a donation of $500 must be neglected as it was made by a graduate student, not a faculty member, of BC. Though this still leaves 59% of campaign donations to the conservative campaigns, there were actually only a total of four donations made to the Republican campaigns by Boston College faculty. This pales in comparison to the total of twenty-three donations made by BC professors to the liberal campaigns.

The reason for this misleading information lies in a single large donation—that of $2,400—made by a professor to a Republican campaign. As this particular sum accounts for 66% of the donations made to conservative campaigns, and thus 38% of the total donations made to campaigns, it is responsible for the false appearance of a “shift” in political viewpoints of BC professors.

Thus, one can conclude by glancing at the amount of donations to Democratic campaigns, that the BC campus remains largely liberal.

Hale explained the reason for which the majority of faculty members at Boston College continue to hold onto their liberal beliefs: “most faculty members are liberal, a fact which can probably be explained by their having formed their political ideas in the 1960s and 1970s.”

He continued that, despite whether or not the world has made these particular beliefs “questionable,” most people who have grown up with a particular political view would feel reluctant to explore any other.

In spite of this, Hale’s “impression of the campus is that the dominance of a single party does not stifle debate the way it does on many other campuses, in part because there are enough Republican, independent, and conservative students to keep the debate lively.” Moreover, he affirms that, though most faculty members are Democrats, they are nevertheless “open to the expression of competing views.”

When informed of the statistics posted by the Huffington Post, Kristoffer Munden, President of the College Democrats of Boston College, agreed with Professor Hale that “the contributions support the generalization that professors are, overall, more likely to be liberal than other groups.”

Munden, however, does not believe that the abundance of faculty members with liberal viewpoints affects the political on-campus experience of the BC student. As a political science major himself, he assures that “most professors do not discuss their personal political beliefs in class.” He sees the abundance of contributions as an indication of  “a politically engaged professorship” rather than “a partisan professorship.”

Tomas Castella, President of the BC Republicans, explained that the increase in amount donated by BC professors to Republican campaigns could “very well reflect the shifting political environment even among former Obama supporters.” Though the amount of donations to liberal campaigns exceeded those to conservative campaigns, the statistics nonetheless show that professors are more enthusiastic about Republican campaigns than they have been in the past.

Additionally, Castella disclosed that the “dissatisfaction with the Obama administration is reflected in the number of new and excited members to [the BC Republicans].” According to Castella, the political organization “signed more students up on Student Activities Day than [he had] ever seen at Boston College.”

Though ultimately the statistics of campaign donations sustain the fact that the Boston College faculty is predominantly liberal, Castella does present a valid point regarding the present discontent with the Obama administration felt by a large portion of the public. As Republicans become more dissatisfied with Obama’s choices, they will undoubtedly participate more actively in the campaigns of their own party. Likewise, as Democrats lose confidence in Obama, their support for the liberal campaigns will most likely lag.

For now, Boston College professors lean steadfastly to the left, but as the political climate changes, so too may the political views across campus. Until then, let us continue to engage in lively political debate.

Andy Rota/The Observer

Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic

Students who look up local pro-bono organizations on the Boston College Law School website may be surprised to find the contact information listed for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

The web page, included under the academic programs category at bc.edu/law, is a list of organizations that students are encouraged to contact should they “line up with [their] own personal mission of service.”

The page lists contact information for Planned Parenthood’s volunteer coordinator and the address of the clinic on Commonwealth Avenue.  According to Planned Parenthood’s website, the clinic provides in-clinic abortions, the abortion pill, and referrals for abortions.

Nate Kenyon, Director of Marketing and Communications at BC Law, defended the link in a statement to The Observer.  “We offer a variety of links on our website to many different kinds of organizations where our students might pursue their professional advancement and public service work. These links do not imply a Boston College endorsement of any organization.”

“As law students who will be making important decisions for clients in only a few years, we feel that our students can educate themselves and make their own decisions based on what’s best for them,” said Kenyon.

Laura Balch, president of Lex Vitae, the BC Law student pro-life society, believes that the inclusion of such an organization is incompatible with BC’s mission as a Catholic institution.

“At best, it’s an embarrassment that we would have something so blatantly antagonistic to the Catholic faith on our pro-bono website,” she said.

Ian Fitzmorris, one of several BC students who regularly participate in demonstrations outside the clinic each Saturday, said “It’s sad that BC Law would undermine students’ faithful efforts to save human lives in our community.”

The page begins, quoting from the BC Law School Mission Statement, by saying “We encourage our students to develop their own individual commitment to others and to explore those themes which are central to the Jesuit tradition: the dignity of the human person, the advancement of the common good and compassion for the poor.”

Balch also emphasized that “the Jesuit tradition, Catholic social teaching…sees our fellow human beings as worthy of complete respect and complete dignity.”

“[The link to Planned Parenthood] suggests that the Jesuit tradition, the Catholic tradition needs to be more respected and more central.  There are small ways to make that more central and one of the ways is not [posting] something that is so antithetical to the Catholic tradition,” said Balch.

The link has been on the BC Law website for at least a year.  The National Catholic Register, in a June 2009 article, quoted a study by the Cardinal Newman Society which referenced the Planned Parenthood contact information.  The article listed BC as part of “Ten Catholic Colleges that Promote Abortion.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church condemns abortion as an intrinsic evil.  “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law (2271).”

“The idea that you would protect the weakest people, the innocent and the vulnerable, is at the core of the Catholic Tradition,” said Balch.

The Career Services office at BC Law did not respond to requests for comment.