School gives extra credit to students who picket clinic where abortions are performed

AP | 2/8/02

[Native American Female Vet]

School gives extra credit to students who picket clinic where abortions are performed

By Associated Press, 2/8/2002 13:58

WARMINSTER, Pa. (AP) A Roman Catholic school has been offering extra credit to students for picketing a health clinic that performs abortions.

About 50 students from the Archbishop Wood High School protested Thursday outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in the Philadelphia suburb of Warminster, about a mile from the school.

The students received a boost to their grade in a class on morality. Religion teacher June Littel said the extra credit was meant to reward students ''for giving of their time.''

At least one student, Courtney Morris, 17, said she would have picketed anyway.

''We just wanted to come out here because that's our faith,'' she said.

Linda Hahn, chief executive officer of the clinic, said the protesters made patients uncomfortable, though none were there for abortions. The clinic does not perform abortions on Thursdays.

''Anyone who would spend their time harassing people who come for medical attention, it's ludicrous,'' she said.

[pa_dweller]

No, because if they were upset about Israeli policy, protesting at an American temple wouldn't make any sense. If, however, they wanted to protest at the Israeli embassy, I wouldn't see any problem. It's a private school after all.

Point taken

The class is about (presumably Catholic) morality. The students are applying what they have learned. Seems like a reasonable extra credit project to me.

I'll go along with the extra credit part if it's also required that they write up a report about their participation, to include: why they participated, what they hoped to accomplish and whether or not they felt they succeeded. There are always those who will take advantage of something like this just to get a few hours out of the classroom if nothing more is demanded.

[miltonim]

Well, some schools teaching good things, while others are not. "Hypocrite" of the Year Award Goes To: Loyola University School of Law

[Flying Circus]

If the Isreali government were ripping 4000 Palestinians limb from limb every day they should not be protesting at the local Jewish temple, but at the Isreali consulate or diplomatic offices. And if that were the case, you can bet your last dollar not only us Catholics, but every university and high school in this country would be offering the extra credit to their students to protest against Isreal.

[timm22]

I'll go along with the extra credit part if it's also required that they write up a report about their participation, to include: why they participated, what they hoped to accomplish and whether or not they felt they succeeded.

That's reasonable. If that school is anything like the Catholic high school I attended, then further written work is probably required.

[EODGUY]

I would like to see it become a permanent facit of Catholic education.

[Coleus]

Sorry, I don't believe in giving students extra credit for volunteering whether it's a an abortion clinic or a nursing home. You are not teaching them any values if they get something in return. When a person receives any kind of remuneration for volunteering; it's NOT volunteering.

I counsel woman on most Saturdays at a local clinic. That school may be putting their students in confrontations which they may not know how to handle and may become harmful.

[JeepInMazar]

School gives extra credit to students who picket clinic where abortions are performed

Good idea.

[Hila]

Involve the students in other countries' issues? Well then, when the Palestinians randomly and frequently go killing innocent civilians in Israel, many a school should be offering credits to go protest at Arab embassies, according to your reasoning.

[Brad’s Gramma]

when the Palestinians randomly and frequently go killing innocent civilians in Israel,

I normally try to stay on topic, and after this I will....but I couldn't help comment on that one word you wrote. WHEN. As in NOW? I'm sure that's what you meant, right?

[Flying Circus]

Palestinians do often go around murdering innocents. However, they are not a nation with a government. They are at best terrorist insurgents waging civil war against the people and government of Israel. Protests would have no effect on them and even if they did, there are no diplomatic locations at which to stage a protest specifically against Palestinians. Furthermore, the leftists at most universities sympathize with Palestinians and would no more give credit to protest against them than they would Communist China.

Please also note that my answer was a hypothetical response to a question so groundless and ridiculous that I needed to premise my response on a gross, massive slaughter the extent of which is matched by the rate at which this nation kills its own children. In the US an average of between 3000 and 4000 children are murdered everyday by abortion, many of them ripped limb from limb.