By Peter J. Smith
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, February 2, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prestigious Jesuit university has at least three professors that have served Planned Parenthood in some capacity, including sitting on one of the abortion giant’s regional board of directors.
Catholic World News first reported the information gleaned from easily-accessible sources posted on the website of St. Louis University, which boasts over 11,000 undergrads.
According to the school's website, SLU law professor Linda Raclin has served on the board of Planned Parenthood of St. Louis since 2007, and is a member of Planned Parenthood’s Working Group on State Ballot Initiatives. Raclin is an assistant professor of legal writing at SLU’s School of Law, and has been employed at the school since 2007.
LifeSiteNews.com’s search of SLU’s website for “Planned Parenthood” showed Prof. Raclin’s resumé with the tagline, “Planned Parenthood of St. Louis. Board Member. Member of Working Group on State Ballot Initiatives. 2007 to present." However, the information does not appear within the current version of Prof. Raclin’s resumé, and may have been excised.
Dr. Christine Jacobs, associate professor at St. Louis University School of Medicine, displays in her resumé a period of membership in Planned Parenthood’s Chicago Area Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006. Dr. Jacobs was hired by SLU in 2008.
Also, the resumé of Dr. Terri Rebmann, Associate Director for Curricular Affairs at SLU’s Institute for Biosecurity, shows that Rebmann worked as patient services supervisor for reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood in St. Louis from 1996 to 1997, and has served as infection control consultant for the Planned Parenthood Federation since 2005. Dr. Rebmann has worked at SLU since July 2000.
In January 2005, approximately seven months before Dr. Rebmann became an associate director at the Institute, she contracted with Planned Parenthood as an Infectious Control Consultant.
In addition, the 2008 SLU document “Beyond the Classroom: Men and Women for Others, A Celebration of SLU Service and Outreach” lists Planned Parenthood among the “organizations, events, and others served by faculty and staff respondents.”
According to St. Louis University, its mission“is the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity…It is dedicated to leadership in the continuing quest for understanding of God's creation and for the discovery, dissemination and integration of the values, knowledge and skills required to transform society in the spirit of the Gospels. As a Catholic, Jesuit university, this pursuit is motivated by the inspiration and values of the Judeo-Christian tradition and is guided by the spiritual and intellectual ideals of the Society of Jesus.”
LifeSiteNews.com contacted St. Louis University for comment and received the following statement: “Saint Louis University is committed to acting consistently with the teachings of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, Saint Louis University’s mission, vision and values support the Catholic Church’s teaching and positions.”
Contact information:
Lawrence Biondi, S.J., President
St. Louis University
(314) 977-7777
biondi@slu.edu