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Extreme Pro-Abortion Feminist Heather Mallick Scheduled to Speak at Catholic St. Mary's University

By Kathleen Gilbert

CALGARY, Alberta, October 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - St. Mary's University College in Calgary, a Catholic institution, has invited Heather Mallick, a virulently pro-abortion and anti-Catholic author and columnist to address students as part of their 2008-09 speaker series.

Ms. Mallick is scheduled to deliver her talk, "A Liberal Arts Education: Worth Its Weight in Gold" to St. Mary's students on January 22, 2009.

Mallick, a well-established feminist column writer, has an undisguised antipathy toward Catholic teaching and morals, particularly concerning abortion and sexuality.

In an article published last year on CBC News, Mallick railed against the Vatican's refusal to support abortion for African women, saying the Church has "no pity" for African women whom the Church thinks "don't matter as much as a clump of cells." Therefore, Mallick says, Catholics choosing to disobey the Church are "inevitable" and more rational than Church officials, whom she called "folks who don't get out much."

Mallick advocates an extremely liberal approach to sexuality. In another CBC column she celebrated abortion as the "Get out of jail free card" that allows men and women to engage in uninhibited sex:

"Birth control and abortion rights have been a sexual volcano for men, one of those volcanoes that never stops erupting. So much more, and better, sex has been had.  Men have been having a giant fling for decades, and women, able to relax about the terror of an unwanted pregnancy, have had more and better sex too.

"Professional disapprovers ... can cross their legs and 'tsk' away in the background till they meet their maker," she added, "but the fun will go on."

Mallick is also an ardent admirer of abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler, with whom she has met frequently in the effort to spread abortion in Canada. Mallick has called Morgentaler "a fighter, survivor, lover of women and friend." 

Most recently, Mallick made international news when she penned an article attacking Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, in which she said Palin's style was a "toned-down version of the porn actress look" and referred to the Republican vote as the "hick vote," amongst other incendiary statements. The article was denounced by numerous commentators for its raunchy and bitter personal attacks against Palin and her family. In the end CBC, not known for its friendliness to conservatives, issued an apology and retracted Mallick's piece.

In December 2007 Mallick attacked a Crisis Pregnancy Center in Ottawa in another one of her columns, with the end result that the center, "First Place," was forced to pull out of a fundraiser in order to spare the foundation that was hosting the fundraiser the negative publicity caused by Mallick's denunciations.

In their statement of educational philosophy, St. Mary's University College website says that the College in its tradition of Catholic education "values this rich heritage of academic freedom, rigorous intellectual inquiry, respect for diversity of opinion and belief, and social responsibility."  It also states that "St. Mary's promotes dialogue between faith and reason so it can be seen more profoundly that faith and reason bear harmonious witness to the unity of all truth."

When LifeSiteNews.com questioned Dr. Terrence Downey, President of St. Mary's, about the choice to invite Mallick to speak at the university, he emphasized that Mallick was only invited to speak about the liberal arts, and not her views on religion or abortion. "I certainly don't agree with Heather Mallick, neither does this institution," said Downey. "This [the abortion issue] is serious business."

When LSN asked Dr. Downey if he thought inviting Mallick could give scandal, he expressed concern about the "controversial" nature of Mallick, but noted that "part of our philosophy here [at St. Mary's] is that we reach out to people who don't agree with us, don't believe in us, and let them see what a good Catholic place looks like. 

"We didn't deliberately go out and get somebody who was controversial, by the way - in this case, and she is controversial enough - but you say: 'how can we best evangelize here, and do what we're doing?'"

To contact Dr. Downey:
14500 Bannister Road SE
Calgary, Alberta, T2X 1Z4  
Phone: (403)254-3701
E-mail: Terry.Downey@stmu.ab.ca

See related coverage:

Canadian National Broadcaster Apologises for "Porn Star" Attack on Palin
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08093001.html

Abortion Campaigners Launch Attack on Hockey Wives' Charitable Support for Crisis Pregnancy Centre
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07120511.html

Pro-Life Crisis Pregnancy Centre Bullied out of Fundraiser by Vicious Abortion Crusaders
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07120705.html

Ontario Press Council Rejects Complaint against Pro-abortion Newspaper Article
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/mar/04032208.html

Canadian Taxpayers Funding Radical Feminist Counter-Offensive
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06081501.html

Abortionist: "World is a Kinder, Gentler Place" because of Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08013111.html

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