Scranton Diocese Cracks Down on Colleges and Universities' Provision of Contraceptives to Students

republicanherald.com: Scranton Diocese asks to see Catholic colleges’ info on health services, by Shari Sanger:

Diocese of Scranton leaders have asked the presidents of the four area Catholic colleges and universities for “assurance” that they are not providing or encouraging the use of contraceptives among students, which is against the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

In a Wednesday letter, Bishop Joseph F. Martino and Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty asked the presidents of King’s College, Misericordia University, Marywood University and the University of Scranton to provide information about their student health services. The intent is to “have assurance that no practice is occurring which would be in violation of Catholic teaching,” according to a press release issued Friday by the diocese.

The bishops’ letter was prompted by an article in the March 25 edition of “The Hawk” — the student newspaper at St. Joseph University in Philadelphia — which described how the university, in its words, finds the “middle ground between Church doctrine and student healthcare,” according to the diocesan press release.