Students for Life Identifies Over 100 Christian Colleges with Ties to Planned Parenthood

On December 8, 2021, Students for Life of America (SFLA) released the findings of an investigation into all 784 colleges and universities affiliated with the Christian faith. They found initially that 103 of those academic institutions had some type of relationship with Planned Parenthood. That’s roughly 1 in 8 Christian schools with ties to Planned Parenthood.

According to the 37-page report, “The goal of SFLA’s Christian Schools Project is to raise public awareness of Christian school maintaining relationship with Planned Parenthood in order to encourage infracting schools to restore their Christian values by cutting ties with the abortion giant.”

To determine whether a connection between a college and Planned Parenthood exists, Students for Life staff researched each school’s website and spoke with school administrators, school health care staff, and students. 

Most Christian schools with connections to Planned Parenthood fell into the following categories:

“Planned Parenthood is listed as an active internship opportunity for which students may receive credit;
“Planned Parenthood is listed as a student resource;
“Planned Parenthood events are advertised on campus or on the website;
“Planned Parenthood is listed as volunteer opportunity;
“Planned Parenthood has partnered with the university on at least one event in the past year; or
“Planned Parenthood is listed as a future career opportunity.”

For purposes of the research, a “Christian school” was defined as “an entity of higher education that has a publicly promoted heritage or affiliation with a Christ-centered church or rooted in the historic Christian faith.” 

Students for Life found 784 colleges and universities in the United States that fit that description.

After Students for Life identified all 103 Christian colleges with ties to Planned Parenthood, they called and emailed each school, alerting them of the infractions and requesting that the academic institution sever all connections with Planned Parenthood.

As a result of communications between Students for Life and the offending schools, 34 schools (of the 103 who had connections to Planned Parenthood) terminated all ties to the abortion giant.

The number of Christian colleges or universities that still have a relationship with Planned Parenthood is now 69. 

Abortion endorsement by any Christian college or university is wrong and should be called out.

As the Students for Life report aptly notes, “These remaining 69 schools’ relationship with the abortion industry represents an endorsement of abortion violence and an alarming departure from Christian tradition and biblical values.”

All 784 Christian colleges were graded based on their ties to the abortion industry or active support for pro-life alternatives. A map of the offending schools can be accessed here.

Fifteen schools received an “F,” meaning they had four or more infractions. 

Fourteen schools received a “D,” meaning they had three infractions.

Thirteen schools received a “C,” meaning they had two infractions. 

Twenty-seven schools received a “B” because of one infraction. 

Thankfully, 715 Christian colleges received an “A,” and 49 of those schools received special recognition for promoting local pregnancy resource centers on their website, promoting job and volunteer opportunities at pregnancy resources centers, and providing scholarships for pregnant and parenting students. 

Christian schools have essential work to do in shaping the worldview of the next generation of Christian leaders. These schools must have courage to fight the pervasive culture of death in our society. They must stand unashamedly pro-life. And we must hold them accountable. 

Photo from Students for Life of America.