State senator says college disinvited her
Posted: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- State Sen. Nancy Turbak Berry, who was scheduled to deliver the Presentation College commencement address Saturday, says she was told earlier in the week that she could not speak there because of her views on abortion.
"I was told I was not welcome to speak because I do not share the Catholic Church's position on the proper role of government in decisions about reproduction," Turbak Berry said. "While not an especially defining issue for me, I have always been candid about my view that government should have a limited role in what I consider to be very personal decisions."
The bishop of the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese, Paul Swain, replaced Turbak Berry as the Presentation commencement speaker. Turbak Berry's name remained in the program, and her absence was not publicly addressed.
"The college made an administrative decision to withdraw the invitation," JoEllen Lindner, Presentation's vice president for enrollment and student retention services, said after the graduation ceremony.
Turbak Berry, of Watertown, said she heard of the college's decision on Friday.
She said her views on abortion have been a matter of public record for a long time. She accepted the invitation to speak in January.
Lorraine Hale, Presentation College president, was not available following Saturday's commencement ceremony, according to college officials said. Calls to her home went unanswered.
More than 1,000 people attended the commencement. Presentation gave diplomas to its largest graduation class ever -- 171 students.
"Each of us, through our witness and our word and through our action and our ways, can be an artist of hope," Swain told the graduates.
"I was told I was not welcome to speak because I do not share the Catholic Church's position on the proper role of government in decisions about reproduction," Turbak Berry said. "While not an especially defining issue for me, I have always been candid about my view that government should have a limited role in what I consider to be very personal decisions."
The bishop of the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese, Paul Swain, replaced Turbak Berry as the Presentation commencement speaker. Turbak Berry's name remained in the program, and her absence was not publicly addressed.
"The college made an administrative decision to withdraw the invitation," JoEllen Lindner, Presentation's vice president for enrollment and student retention services, said after the graduation ceremony.
Turbak Berry, of Watertown, said she heard of the college's decision on Friday.
She said her views on abortion have been a matter of public record for a long time. She accepted the invitation to speak in January.
Lorraine Hale, Presentation College president, was not available following Saturday's commencement ceremony, according to college officials said. Calls to her home went unanswered.
More than 1,000 people attended the commencement. Presentation gave diplomas to its largest graduation class ever -- 171 students.
"Each of us, through our witness and our word and through our action and our ways, can be an artist of hope," Swain told the graduates.
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