Fairfield University, a Jesuit institution in Connecticut, has announced that pro-abortion politician Harold Ford, Jr., will speak on campus on Feb. 20.

Ford, a former Tennessee congressman, is the current head of the Democratic Leadership Council, which supports abortion and opposes prohibiting partial-birth abortion and embryonic stem cell research. 

According to Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee in 2006, when Ford unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate, “During his 10-year [House] tenure, Mr. Ford has voted against the pro-life side 87 percent of the time.  On several major pro-life issues, including federal funding of abortion on demand, Mr. Ford has voted against every other member of the Tennessee congressional delegation, both Democrat and Republican.”

Nevertheless, one faculty member said in a university news release, “His extensive political background, grass roots organizing and leadership in the Democratic Party will provide a fertile ground to explore issues related to the environment, globalization, race relations and immigration essential to our understanding of American democracy in the 21^st century.”

Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, said, “Some institutions seem oblivious to the scandal that they are creating by inviting pro-abortion politicians and those who represent pro-abortion organizations.  Harold Ford represents the worst of both worlds.  We urge Fairfield University to live up to its Catholic identity and cancel this speech.”

The talk is part of a 2007-2008 community Open VISIONS Forum, which includes a different speaker each month during the academic year.  Attendees are being charged $45 per ticket.