PITTSBURGH, PA —Public radio station WDUQ has pulled Planned Parenthood advertising and returned more than $5,000 donated after the station’s license holder, Duquesne University, said the government-funded women’s health organization did not share the school’s Catholic mission.The station began airing the Planned Parenthood messages on October 8th. Two days later, officials were ordered by university administration to not air the ads in the future.
Duquesne spokeswoman Bridget Fare, citing Planned Parenthood’s support of abortion, said the organization was not aligned with the university’s Catholic mission and identity. The ads that the university took issue with never mentioned abortion at all.
One of the messages said: “Support for WDUQ comes from Planned Parenthood, providing comprehensive sexuality education, including lessons on abstinence. Planned Parenthood: Their mission is prevention.”
Scott Hanley, the station’s general manager, said he received a call from the university’s president, Charles J. Dougherty, saying he was concerned that it was inappropriate to accept a financial gift from Planned Parenthood.
“On reflection, I had to respect his opinion,” Hanley told The New York Times.
The university holds the broadcast license for the radio station. Duquesne provides the radio station with 6-percent of its cash funding, and the WDUQ raises the rest of the money from outside the university, according to the station’s Web site.
Kimberlee Evert, a Planned Parenthood representative, questioned whether the station’s news content is independent and whether the station should relocate off the university’s campus.
“Our concern is that we didn’t realize to be an underwriter that you had to agree with Catholic doctrine,” Evert told The New York Times.
