The Catholic University of America has dismissed one of its professors for bringing an abortion advocate to class to speak to students.
A Tuesday email from the school’s president, Peter Kilpatrick, obtained by CNA said that the school began an investigation last week after learning of reports of an abortion advocate being invited to a class. The president said the school also learned that a student had an audio recording of the class in question.
The Daily Signal, which obtained and released a copy of the recording last week, identified the psychology professor as Melissa Goldberg.
“Now that we have clear evidence that the content of the class did not align with our mission and identity, we have now terminated our contract with the professor who invited the speaker,” Kilpatrick wrote on Tuesday.
Goldberg’s faculty page was no longer available on the university website as of Tuesday afternoon.
“As a Catholic institution, we are committed to promoting the full truth of the human person and to protecting human life from conception to natural death. In our rigorous pursuit of truth and justice, we engage at times with arguments or ideologies contrary to reason or to the Gospel,” he wrote.
“But we do so fully confident in the clarity given by the combined lights of reason and faith, and we commit to never advocate for sin or to give moral equivalence to error,” Kilpatrick added.
“As witnessed by the life and virtue of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast we just celebrated as a community, such engagement with opposing ideas helps us both to grow in our command of truth and to respond to error with empathy, compassion, and mercy.”
According to the Daily Signal, which spoke to a student who was part of the lecture, Goldberg invited Rachel Carbonneau to the class on Jan. 23. Carbonneau, the founder and CEO of the doula company Family Ways, spoke to the class about working with women who have elective abortions and abortions that are “for medical reasons,” according to the recording.
Doulas are most commonly associated with providing emotional and physical support to women prior to, during, and after birth, though a range of doula services exist for events such as death or miscarriage.
Discussing abortions, Carbonneau in the recording said that the “goal for a lot of providers is to try to perform the abortion before the baby’s nerve endings are formed. So the goal is to do it at a time when the baby is not going to feel any pain.”
Carbonneau also discussed what she called “the risk to the birthing person” including “a risk of hemorrhage and a risk of [a] baby that’s not going to survive, and the conversation to have with her older children about why she’s been pregnant and now there’s no baby.”
“There are a lot of pieces to these puzzles, emotionally and socially,” she said.
When asked by a student to expand on her use of the term “birthing persons,” Carbonneau said that she works with clients who identify as transgender. “Birthing person” is a term transgender advocates often use to avoid gendered language such as “woman” or “mother.”
Kilpatrick said in his letter this week that “at Catholic University, we have the unique opportunity and common blessing to pursue truth, to grow in faith, and to exercise charity. Our studies aim at producing wisdom, which includes excellence in living and sharing the truth with others.”
“May our common study help us to understand life, to love goodness, and to promote and protect the dignity of the human person,” he wrote.
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A young woman holds a pro-life sign during a rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2023, marking the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. / Joseph Portolano/CNA
Washington D.C., Jun 25, 2023 / 06:40 am (CNA).
Marking the first anniversary of Roe being overturned, a group of pro-life leaders rallied hundreds to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Saturday with the message that they were united around the fight for full, legal protection for the unborn from the moment of conception in all 50 states.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told those gathered on a sunny, hot summer day that while she celebrated the 25 states that have passed strong pro-life laws, “we are in fact living in a divided states of America” where “a person’s location determines if they will survive the abortion gauntlet as we did.”
Hawkins said the country must become “an America where every human being is recognized as the unrepeatable person as they are with equal rights and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed, not because of what state their mother resides in or if they are perceived to be convenient or the circumstances of their conception.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, addresses the crowd at a pro-life rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial on June 24, 2023, marking the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Joseph Portolano/CNA
Hawkins told CNA that pro-life leaders are uniting around the belief “that every human being is a human person at conception” and that the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal justice clauses should be equally applied to persons in the womb.
“At a very minimum if you’re running for federal office, you should be able to acknowledge that abortion is a federal issue,” she said. “We want to see every presidential contender join with us to acknowledge what is so clearly written in the Fourteenth Amendment: that all human beings are human persons and deserve equal protection of our laws.”
Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, called the Fourteenth Amendment “one of the most beautiful notes in our national song” and lamented that “when it comes to preborn children we have failed to extend these protections.”
Speaking at a rally in front of of the Lincoln Memorial on June 24, 2023, Lila Rose, president of the pro-life group Live Action, called it a “tragic contradiction” that “while our society celebrates advancements in prenatal care and technology, we simultaneously deny personhood and rights, the personhood and rights of these very same children.”. Joseph Portolano/CNA
Rose called it a “tragic contradiction” that “while our society celebrates advancements in prenatal care and technology, we simultaneously deny personhood and rights, the personhood and rights of these very same children. It is inconceivable that we would selectively deny these rights to one group of human beings solely based on their location: the womb.”
Republican presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence, who recently called on his fellow GOP presidential candidates to join him in backing a “minimum” nationwide 15-week abortion limit, made an appearance at the rally.
“As we celebrate this anniversary, let us here resolve that we will work and we will pray as never before to advance the cause of life in the laws of the land in every state in America. That we will support women in crisis pregnancies with resources and support for their care, for the unborn, and for the newborn as never before,” Pence said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, addresses the crowd at a pro-life rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial on June 24, 2023, marking the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Joseph Portolano/CNA
“We stand for the babies and their unalienable right to life,” he said, pledging that he and his family “will never rest and never relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in the land.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-life America, shared words of advice for the growing list of 2024 presidential candidates: “Get your act together. Figure out what you’re for and advance it. Don’t wait,” she urged.
“We have consensus in this country,” she added. “Start with that and be the president you’re called to be in justice and love for moms and justice and love for their babies.” Consistent Gallup polling shows that the majority of Americans would prefer to limit abortion to the first three months of pregnancy.
There were many young people in the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial, including Katriel Nyman, a 17-year-old from Washington state who is with Students for Life Tri-Cities. She told CNA that it was “really encouraging to see a bunch of people who believe in rights from conception.”
She said she’d “like to see more pro-lifers continue to persevere through this” post-Dobbs fight because “even if abortion isn’t legal in your state, you should be fighting for the rights of infants that are soon to be born in other states.”
Sameerah Munshi, a recent graduate of Brown University who is interning with the Religious Freedom Institute, holds a sign with a verse from the Quran about the sanctity of life that reads “We have dignified the children of Adam,” at a pro-life rally at the Lincoln Memorial on June 24, 2023. Lauretta Brown/CNA
Sameerah Munshi, a recent graduate of Brown University who is interning with the Religious Freedom Institute, held a sign with a verse from the Quran about the sanctity of life that read “We have dignified the children of Adam.”
She told CNA that she wanted to make her voice heard as a Muslim who believes, based on her faith, that abortion is wrong in most cases. She said many Muslims followers feel, as she does, that life begins “in the first couple weeks after conception.”
Munshi said that in the year since the Dobbs decision, “a lot of people that I know who don’t have strong opinions on abortion have been coming out either in favor or against” abortion. She sees it as valuable that there’s more discourse about the abortion issue and people are “coming to more conclusions for themselves as opposed to maybe rhetoric that they’ve seen in the news or rhetoric that they feel has been a part of their political platform.”
Jessica Newell, a Catholic student who is interning with Live Action and entering her third year at Coastal Carolina University, told CNA that “it’s so important for people who are indoctrinated by this culture to learn the truth about biology and the truth about God and that they’re made in the image of God.”
She emphasized that the pro-life movement still has so much to do and part of that work is “letting people know that they’re loved, that is a big step in changing the culture to a culture of life.”
Melissa Ohden, who survived a saline-infusion abortion at 31 weeks gestation, stands alongside her oldest daughter Olivia, 15, at a pro-life rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2023. Joseph Portolano/CNA
Melissa Ohden, who survived a saline-infusion abortion at 31 weeks gestation, stood at the rally alongside her oldest daughter Olivia, 15, and a sign which read “Babies survive abortions. I am one of them.”
“This was a very personal thing for Roe to be overturned,” she told CNA, “It is a day that we can celebrate, but it has not been a chance to pause, take our breath, it has been a time of continuing to hit the ground running.”
In her work heading the Abortion Survivors Network, Ohden said that since the Dobbs decision she’s heard from “more women than ever reaching out to us after their chemical abortions have failed.” She said it’s important to reach moms who are vulnerable to chemical abortions which make up the majority of abortions in the country.
Ohden said that since Dobbs the pro-life movement “has continued to be the side that is providing resources and support whether it’s in communities, at the state level, pushing for federal policy that supports mothers and children and families in a greater way.”
Her daughter Olivia said it was “amazing” to be at the rally with her mom and called the issue an emotional one because “people like my mom should be protected no matter who they are, where they are.”
‘ The Holy Father went on: “The authentic progress of human society cannot forgo policies aimed at protecting and promoting marriage, and the community that derives therefrom. Adopting such policies is the duty not only of States but of the International Community as a whole, in order to invert the tendency towards the growing isolation of the person, which is a source of suffering and corrosion for both individuals and for society.
“If it is true that the defence and promotion of human dignity ‘have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt’, it is equally true that this responsibility particularly concerns people called to positions of responsibility.” ‘
Is this the same Holy Father who surrounds himself in the Vatican with a cadre of homosexuals, who protects bishops who have preyed upon boys and young men, who rewards and encourages a fellow Jesuit who promotes homosexuality, and who praises and favors a Jesuit artist who raped and engaged in orgies with numerous nuns? Why then quote his words when his actions are in direct contradiction to them?
I was in a hurry and did not see that the quote is not from the current “Holy Father” but rather from his predecessor whose work he has completely overturned and destroyed. It is stunning that one has to go back 12 years to a different Pope to get a clear and explicit statement of the Catholic doctrine on this issue.
Someone should inform this babe that trans “birthing persons” who were not BORN female CANNOT give birth. Disgusting this would happen at a Catholic college. I would hope that by now all Catholic colleges worth their tuition costs would mandate that their professors sign a contract at hiring saying they cannot promote actions which are in opposition to Catholic belief, or else be subject to immediate termination. If you want to propagandize for this garbage, do so in the realm of public universities, which posit no moral framework except “do your own thing, no matter who gets hurt”. It would appear one of the students in the class reported this in. Bravo to that kid for having a spine and a strong belief system.
Something tells me that there were probably many red flags surrounding Professor Goldberg that should have precluded her from ever being hired at a Catholic university. I am sure there are more than a few members of the faculty who support strongly her views. It is good to read that openly promoting abortion in the classroom will get you canned at CUA (at least if there is a recording of the lecture that is made public). The bar, however, needs to be set much higher.
If you are thinking this wasn’t a one off by the professor, I agree with you Mr. Tony.
While this incident put an end to anything further at Catholic University I imagine it will open doors for her at other schools. Sadly.
Several Jesuit colleges probably will be in competition to offer her a job. If this incident had occurred at Georgetown, the administration likely would have defended her and expelled the student.
‘ The Holy Father went on: “The authentic progress of human society cannot forgo policies aimed at protecting and promoting marriage, and the community that derives therefrom. Adopting such policies is the duty not only of States but of the International Community as a whole, in order to invert the tendency towards the growing isolation of the person, which is a source of suffering and corrosion for both individuals and for society.
“If it is true that the defence and promotion of human dignity ‘have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt’, it is equally true that this responsibility particularly concerns people called to positions of responsibility.” ‘
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2012/09/24/pope-exhorts-christians-to-act-and-express-themselves-with-a-prophetic-spirit-in-public-square/
Is this the same Holy Father who surrounds himself in the Vatican with a cadre of homosexuals, who protects bishops who have preyed upon boys and young men, who rewards and encourages a fellow Jesuit who promotes homosexuality, and who praises and favors a Jesuit artist who raped and engaged in orgies with numerous nuns? Why then quote his words when his actions are in direct contradiction to them?
I was in a hurry and did not see that the quote is not from the current “Holy Father” but rather from his predecessor whose work he has completely overturned and destroyed. It is stunning that one has to go back 12 years to a different Pope to get a clear and explicit statement of the Catholic doctrine on this issue.
I was hoping the reader AND the current Holy Father would catch it without me spotlighting anything or harping.
Sorry if I misled.
Someone should inform this babe that trans “birthing persons” who were not BORN female CANNOT give birth. Disgusting this would happen at a Catholic college. I would hope that by now all Catholic colleges worth their tuition costs would mandate that their professors sign a contract at hiring saying they cannot promote actions which are in opposition to Catholic belief, or else be subject to immediate termination. If you want to propagandize for this garbage, do so in the realm of public universities, which posit no moral framework except “do your own thing, no matter who gets hurt”. It would appear one of the students in the class reported this in. Bravo to that kid for having a spine and a strong belief system.
I think you should inform her LJ. I wonder when she was called babe last?
🙂
Something tells me that there were probably many red flags surrounding Professor Goldberg that should have precluded her from ever being hired at a Catholic university. I am sure there are more than a few members of the faculty who support strongly her views. It is good to read that openly promoting abortion in the classroom will get you canned at CUA (at least if there is a recording of the lecture that is made public). The bar, however, needs to be set much higher.
If you are thinking this wasn’t a one off by the professor, I agree with you Mr. Tony.
While this incident put an end to anything further at Catholic University I imagine it will open doors for her at other schools. Sadly.
Several Jesuit colleges probably will be in competition to offer her a job. If this incident had occurred at Georgetown, the administration likely would have defended her and expelled the student.
No doubt, Mr. Tony. This probably earns her a prestigious position elsewhere. And a lecture tour.