Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
A DePaul University student organization with ties to Planned Parenthood says it was told earlier in June by school officials to disband, end its operations, and cancel its events.
Planned Parenthood Generation Action DePaul University (PPGenAction DePaul) is affiliated with Planned Parenthood Illinois Action.
The group reportedly said school officials did not provide its leaders with any statement of violation of school policies or procedures to explain the order to disband the organization.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, however, a DePaul spokesperson said the university does not allow student groups to affiliate with outside organizations “whose core missions are in direct conflict with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church.”
“Planned Parenthood falls into this category,” the spokesperson said, adding, “We remain committed to supporting student-led dialogue on important issues, including reproductive health.”
Maya Roman, PPGenAction DePaul president, issued a statement calling it “disappointing” that the university prioritizes “removing groups doing the work they uplift in their classrooms in such a manner.”
“It was made clear that we have not broken any rules or policies and it was solely our affiliation with Planned Parenthood that resulted in our disbandment,” Roman added.
“We fully cooperated with DePaul administration’s ever changing goal posts and adhered to its mission statement that prioritizes our intersectional movement, Vincentian and reproductive justice values,” Roman asserted. “Our chapter being evicted is a great disservice to the health and wellness of the DePaul and Chicago communities.”
Students were in an uproar over the move by DePaul officials, reported the Sun Times.
A post to the group’s Instagram account announced both the school’s move to disband the Planned Parenthood-affiliated organization and a town hall event “to make your voice heard.”
“We are not going anywhere and we will continue to be a community, but we need as much input and support as possible to determine how we want to continue our operations,” the post stated.
As CatholicVote reported in May 2024, DePaul had hosted the pro-abortion heterodox group Catholics for Choice in an event organized by PPGenAction DePaul. The event featured Catholics for Choice President Jamie Manson.
Student-run newspaper The DePaulia observed that Manson said she had been “butting up” against the Catholic Church since she was 14 and had wanted to become a priest.
“Telling everyone that clearly God wanted me to be a priest helped me understand the profound misogyny of the Roman Catholic Church and that my body makes me illegitimate and unworthy,” she said, adding her view that the Church’s doctrine regarding a male-only priesthood is tied to its teachings on marriage, contraception, and abortion.