Thomas Mengler, Dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, has ruled that students may not count volunteer work at Planned Parenthood as part of their required service hours. The university’s student Public Service Board (PSB) had previously decided to count volunteer work at the notorious abortion provider toward the graduation requirement.
"Volunteer service at Planned Parenthood, whatever the nature of that service, advances the mission of Planned Parenthood, an organization whose mission is fundamentally at odds with a core value of the Catholic Church,” Mengler said.
The Dean continued, “Such service does not constitute 'qualifying public service' for purposes of satisfying the School of Law's graduation requirement of 50 hours of public service.”
Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society, commented: “Dean Mengler has taken a clear position in support of the law school’s Catholic mission and opposed to the reprehensible activities of Planned Parenthood. He has set an important example for other law schools that have all but abandoned a distinctive Catholic identity.”
Mengler’s strong stand is in stark contrast to the policy at the Georgetown University Law Center. Last September the Washington, D.C., Jesuit school adopted a policy that provides funding to law students who intern with public interest organizations regardless of their mission. This change in policy was apparently made to accommodate students who had previously been denied funding for abortion advocacy work with Planned Parenthood.