A pro-life leader at the Catholic University of America resigned from her position and said the university chaplain “pressured” her against her “conscience” to cancel a speech by pro-life activist Abby Johnson.
‘Cardinals for Life’ booked Johnson — who bravely resigned from a Planned Parenthood clinic and became a pro-life activist — over two years ago. But the group decided this week to CANCEL her speech after saying she understood if police profiled her adopted, biracial son.
“I am writing today to inform you that I am resigning from my position as President of Cardinals for Life at the Catholic University of America, effective immediately, because of how I was pressured, against my conscience, by the University Chaplain in his capacity as adviser to Cardinals for Life, into making a decision to postpone indefinitely an event with Abby Johnson,” Anna Stephens, a Catholic University senior, wrote in a letter sent to school President John Garvey.
"I am writing today to inform you that I am resigning from my position as President of Cardinals for Life at the CUA…because of how I was pressured, against my conscience, by the University Chaplain…into making a decision to postpone indefinitely an event with Abby Johnson.”
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 9, 2021
In a Monday evening statement to the Daily Caller, President Garvey said that though the ‘Cardinals for Life’ canceled Johnson’s speech, Catholic University (CUA) College Republicans had volunteered to sponsor her.
“The event will take place as planned,” Garvey told the Daily Caller. “An event for students who oppose Ms. Johnson’s presentation will be held at the same time.”
CUA College Republicans President Blayne Clegg confirmed that the group will host Johnson
Looking forward to having @AbbyJohnson speak via zoom at @CatholicUniv tonight.
Pro-life students & faculty have wanted Abby to come for a long time & I'm glad the event is taking place.
Thanks to the CUA College Republicans for picking up the ball & sponsoring the event!
— Michael New (@Michael_J_New) February 9, 2021
Though she said it had been “one of the greatest honors” to lead the pro-life group, Stephens said that she found that she could not “in good conscience” stand behind the group’s decision to cancel Johnson’s speech.
In a message posted to Instagram earlier this week, DeAngelo BEGGED forgiveness from the university community for “failing to foster dialogue” and for not including the university’s cultural groups in discussions about whether Johnson should speak.
Johnson came under fire over the summer for comments she made about police profiling and her adopted, biracial son.
As she discussed fatherhood and racial division in the United States, Johnson said she would understand if police officers profiled her biracial son when he grows up because her “brown son is more likely to commit a violent offense” than her white sons.
“Because of the statistics that these police officers know in their head, they’re going to know that statistically, my brown son is more likely to commit a violent offense over my white sons,” Johnson said.
Johnson continued: “So the fact that in his head he would be more careful around my brown son than my white son. That doesn’t actually make me angry. That makes that police officer smart because of statistics.”
Johnson said in a Monday night Facebook post that she would speak for Catholic University’s College Republicans instead, since Cardinals for Life “decided to cave to liberal pressure and cancel the event.”