St. Joseph’s College in Hartford, Conn., describes itself as an institution of higher learning “enhanced by the Catholic intellectual tradition and the values of its founding Sisters of Mercy.”

Tonight, it’s hosting a speaker whose views would clash with those values.

Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, is presenting the third in a four-part series on global “gender-based health care for women sponsored by Pfizer,” said college spokeswoman Cynthia Mariani.

“Germain was invited by the World Affairs Councils of Connecticut, Western Michigan and North Carolina who, in partnership with St. Joseph College, is hosting this series,” Mariani said.

Based on what’s available on its website, the International Women’s Health Coalition is obviously a promoter of legal abortion and greater access to contraception.

Why is such a speaker given a platform at a Catholic college?

Mariani explained that the lecture was part of a series comprised of presentations by experts in the field of global health issues “with an emphasis on gender inequalities and the special health needs of women.”

Defending Germain’s appearance, Mariani said St. Joseph College is “grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Mercy values which support an open and free exchange of ideas.”

“As an institution of academic excellence, St. Joseph College is a welcoming community where its relationships are based on openness, inclusivity and mutual respect,” Mariani said. “St. Joseph College is committed to fostering the growth of an inclusive community that welcomes differences among community members and benefits from them.”

Will there be any counterarguments made to Germain’s presentation?

“A question-and-answer period will be available after Adrienne’s speech,” Mariani said.

If St. Joseph’s is committed to “mutual respect,” is Germain and the International Women’s Health Coalition? One of the organization’s projects, as explained on its website, is expanding the “availability and quality of safe abortion services as part of comprehensive reproductive health policies and programs around the world.

“To this end, in cooperation with WHO, other international organizations, and our colleagues in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, we have helped to introduce ‘Safe Abortion: Technical and Policy Guidance’ — a groundbreaking WHO manual on how to set up safe services — to service providers, policymakers and advocates in a range of countries and regions,” it says.

In other words, the coalition is pushing a practice in some cultures, particularly the heavily Catholic Latin American culture, where killing off one’s own children is anathema.

Where’s the respect?

—John Burger