News

April 7, 2009

Colleges: Birth control ban is honored

4 local Catholic institutions tell bishop no contraception is made available.

By Mark Guydish mguydish@timesleader.com
Education Reporter
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SCRANTON -- The presidents of four local Catholic institutions of higher learning issued a joint response to Bishop Joseph Martino’s request regarding campus availability of artificial contraception, insisting they abide by Catholic precepts.

“Condoms are not available on our campuses and our student health services and centers do not provide oral and other forms of contraceptives,” the joint statement said. “We are, therefore, confident in assuring you that our health centers practice in ways that respect and do not violate Catholic teaching.”

The note, in the form of a letter to Martino, was signed by Marywood University President Sister Ann Munley, University of Scranton President the Rev. Scott Pilarz, Misericordia University President Michael MacDowell and King’s College President the Rev. Thomas J. O’Hara.

The letter was a response to a statement issued publicly by the Diocese of Scranton last week calling on the schools “to provide information on their student health services to have assurance that no practice is occurring which would be in violation of Catholic teaching.”

That request, in turn, had been prompted by an article that appeared in the student newspaper at St. Joseph’s University. In the article, St. Joseph’s director of student health services is quoted as saying it is “fortunate” that the school’s location gives students an opportunity to purchase condoms. The director also discussed oral contraceptives.

The Catholic Church teaches that artificial contraception is unacceptable.

In their response, the four local presidents said they “independently reviewed the concerns generated from a news article from a student newspaper … . We learned that our health centers approach issues that relate to Catholic moral teaching from the same mission, perspective and commitment.”

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