Students for Life report finds massive uptick in Christian colleges' support for abortion, Planned Parenthood
EXCLUSIVE: Support for abortion among Christian colleges in the United States has skyrocketed since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to a new report by Students for Life of America’s Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement (IPA).
IPA identified 725 Christian schools, defined by as "an institution of higher education affiliated with a Christ-centered denomination and publicly claiming historical Christian faith in its founding," and combed through the colleges' websites for references to abortion found that one in seven is connected to the abortion industry. Information for the report was gathered during the 2024-2025 academic year.
The report tallied "infractions" by the Christian schools, defined as "a relationship with Planned Parenthood or another abortion industry entity." It found that in the immediate wake of the Supreme Court's landmark reversal, abortion support on college campuses increased by nearly 20%. Since 2024, that number has increased to 38%.
Overall, more than 26% of the infractions by Christian schools stemmed from referring to abortion mill Planned Parenthood as a "health resource."
In some cases, schools support abortion on their websites and provide resources for students to obtain them, including through Planned Parenthood. Others provided internships or volunteer opportunities with abortion vendors.
Schools were also ranked on an A+ to F rating. To earn an A+, the Christian colleges must not support abortion in any way, and actively promote pro-life pregnancy centers or other pro-life resources for expectant mothers. An A grade means that a school does not support in any way, but also does not promote any pro-life alternatives.
In order to receive an F grade, a school must have four or more infractions.
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"You can't be Christian and be pro-abortion," Students for Life Action president Kristan Hawkins told Fox News Digital.
"It's not something you can ... be flexible on," she said. "If you are a Christian, you profess to serve a God who spoke the universe into existence. He sent his only son to die a painful, excruciating death, to rise again in three days so we can live in heaven for all eternity. He did that because we, as His creation, are infinitely invaluable."
American University in Washington, D.C., affiliated with the Methodist Church, topped the list of offenders.
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The IPA report found 34 infractions on the part of the school, listing the most egregious as an alternative spring break program called "Youth Empowerment and Reproductive Health."
The school's Antiracism Center also flaunts a "Reproductive Justice" page that provides an abortion resource guide, and slams states that it says moved to restrict abortions after Roe was overturned.
"This has disproportionately impacted poor people, pregnant people of color, and Indigenous pregnant people; groups whose access to privacy and bodily autonomy in the reproductive sphere was already limited," the page says. "By bringing together the work of feminists of color with allies in the fields of reproductive law, health, and politics, ARPC works to lift up the experiences and actions of women of color and forge new pathways toward a culture and politics of reproductive freedom for all."
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A spokesperson for American University said the school isn't affiliated with Christianity, though it was founded by Methodists. However, the school's website says it is still affiliated with the Methodists.
"In the spring of 2015, the University Senate of the United Methodist Church voted to reaffirm American University as a United Methodist-affiliated university," according to a webpage.
High on the list of failing schools is Duke University in North Carolina. The IPA lists a September 2024 panel discussion among Duke doctors and lawyers, which references abortion as "healthcare" and complains that "inconsistent legal approaches to abortion are fueling fear and uncertainty for both patients and doctors..." as a main reason for the F.
Duke, also a historically Methodist school, still recognizes its Methodist founding in its own by-laws.
"Recognizing its origin in this tradition, its continuing relationship to The United Methodist Church, and the diverse constituency that has developed since its founding, the University is committed to creating a rigorous scholarly community characterized by generous hospitality toward diverse religious and cultural traditions," those by-laws say.
Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Texas tallied 14 infractions, including an entire webpage dedicated to "Women's Resources." A subsection of that page, called "Reproductive Rights and Parent Support," lists regional and national affiliates of Planned Parenthood as resources, linking to their websites. It also lists the pro-abortion National Abortion Federation, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and the National Network of Abortion funds as resources.
SMU's mission statement also says it is committed to its Methodist founding.
"SMU affirms its historical commitment to academic freedom and open inquiry, to moral and ethical values, and to its United Methodist heritage," according to the school.
Kristi Hamrick, Students for Life of America's vice president of media and policy, said it's not uncommon for schools to affiliate themselves with Christianity on their websites, but claim they are not religiously affiliated.
"It’s disingenuous for schools to talk about their faith heritage and values on one part of their website and in their materials, and then not to practice what they preach. No one should be surprised they are on the list of schools failing to live up to their ideals," she said.
"The schools promote themselves on public websites, and they are being judged by their own words. Donors, alumni, and potential students deserve to know what schools are doing in support of abortion and abortion vendors," she said. "Every year, there’s always a few schools who try to distance themselves from their faith affiliation, when we point it out. But we’ve been more than fair, in documenting who they claim to be and what they are doing on the human rights issue of our day – abortion."
One of the nation's premier Catholic universities also received a failing grade. Villanova University, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia and the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV, had four infractions, according to the report.
Of its transgressions, the report notes that the school offers several pro-abortion groups on official school career pages, including the Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire and Repro Freedom For All. Those pages don't currently list any available job opportunities.
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Hawkins told Fox News Digital that while some schools are upset about receiving a failing grade, it sometimes motivates them to adhere to Christian, pro-life values.
"If you are willing to get rid of all of your ties to the abortion industry, promote the pregnancy centers — non-violent healthcare centers – we are more than happy to share this as a win, and get the word out," she said.
There are some positives from the report, too. For example, 66 schools improved to an A+ rating, about a 13.5% increase from 2024.
Some pro-life successes at individual schools were highlighted, including Abilene Christian University removing Planned Parenthood as an internship opportunity, Presbyterian College in South Carolina removing Planned Parenthood as a "top nonprofit" in its nonprofit career guide and St. Mary's University of Minnesota removing Planned Parenthood as an employer on its career services webpage.
"Every human being is infinitely invaluable because we were created in [God's] own image. To support, really what has now become, sadly, the literal human sacrifice for the God of yourself or for other ambition or career goals is to be fundamentally rejecting the truth of what it means to be a Christian and following the creator of the universe," said Hawkins.
Duke, SMU and Villanove did not return requests for comment.