DePaul University’s Relationship with Planned Parenthood

Earlier this week, DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois was cited for offering “volunteering opportunities” with Planned Parenthood.

An article, written by TFP Student Action, provided screen shots from DePaul’s website, showing Planned Parenthood listed as a place to volunteer on their College of Science and Health and Career Center pages.

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After the release of this information, we called the university, asking for clarification on their relationship with Planned Parenthood. DePaul University did not return our call.

Interestingly, immediately after the article was posted by TFP, these “volunteering opportunities” disappeared from both of the University’s pages, sited above.

By googling “DePaul and volunteer opportunities at Planned Parenthood,” the PDF “Co-Curricular Experiences for Pre-Health Students” appears in the search engine. It includes a URL which links directly to the Planned Parenthood website.

However, clicking on the PDF directs viewers to a “Server Error” page, meaning the file was removed.

DePaul University is the largest Catholic University in America. It would be against the University’s Catholic identity to promote any such relationship with Planned Parenthood. Its Catholic identity statement reads:

“By reason of its Catholic character, DePaul strives to bring the light of [the] Catholic faith and the treasures of knowledge into a mutually challenging and supportive relationship. It accepts as its corporate responsibility to remain faithful to the Catholic message drawn from authentic religious sources both traditional and contemporary.”

Supporting an organization that dismembers, dissects, and sells unborn children certainly doesn’t sound like it falls within their mission.