The University of San Francisco (USF) announced today, December 12, 2008, that it has dropped coverage for the “Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy” from its student health insurance plan. Previously, students were automatically enrolled in the plan which covered abortion if they were not already enrolled in a comparable plan.

The internet erupted in protest yesterday after staff members from the Diocese of Kansas City reported on The Catholic Key Blog that the Jesuit university’s insurance policy contained coverage for procured abortion. The Cardinal Newman Society immediately called on “USF president Father Stephen Privett to immediately take action,” and remove the immoral provision.

Today, Gary McDonald, the associate vice president for communications and public affairs of USF, sent Our Sunday Visitor the following statement:

“A new health plan for students at the University of San Francisco included a provision for the voluntary termination of pregnancy. It was not the University's intention to offer this coverage. USF supports the Catholic Church's views on the sanctity of life, at all stages, and we will remove this provision from our student health plan. We regret this mistake, and we take full responsibility for not adequately reviewing the contract. We are grateful to those who brought this issue to our attention.”

Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, lauded USF’s timely response, “The University of San Francisco deserves admiration for so quickly responding to this scandal of grave proportions. Let us hope that this praiseworthy action will renew in Catholics everywhere a hope for the future of Catholic higher education.”

However, The Catholic Key Blog has reported that the University of San Francisco has offered its employees coverage for the “Voluntary termination of pregnancy” in their health insurance plans since at least 2006.

“If USF truly ‘supports the Catholic Church’s views on the sanctity of life,’” said Reilly, “then the administration should with similar zeal also remove any coverage for abortion offered in the employee plan.”