When my parents sent me to college at age 16, they were naturally nervous. But their nerves were calmed by the fact that I would be attending a Christian school — a school that avowed the same beliefs and values as they did.
As it turns out, that shouldn’t have reassured them.
According to a stunning new report, more than 1 in 7 Christian colleges directly violated their professed faith in the 2024-2025 school year by maintaining a relationship with Planned Parenthood or the abortion industry. That’s fully 1 in 7 colleges publicly proclaiming Christ while privately violating the most basic Christian value: the dignity of life.
That’s not counting the myriad of colleges that plaster the name of Christ on top of an otherwise completely secular school. The study, conducted by Students for Life of America’s Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement (IPA), only looked at schools directly affiliated with a Christ-centered denomination — schools that publicly affirmed faith in their mission statement.
Nor were the schools’ infractions minor in nature. More than one-fourth of the offending schools were Christian schools that referred students to Planned Parenthood as a “health resource.”
That fact would be distressing even if the schools in question were secular. Reports from outlets as left-wing as the New York Times document the abysmal standard of care at Planned Parenthood facilities, including staff instructions to limit appointments to just 10 minutes in order to churn through as many patients as possible.
But for Christian schools, such referrals don’t just pose a threat to student health; they’re a direct betrayal of the faith they proclaim.
Students, parents, and donors expect schools bearing the name “Christian” to live out their faith. But IPA’s report shows just how many fall short of that calling.
And unfortunately, the problem is only growing. According to IPA, Christian schools have increased their support for abortion by 19.82% overall since the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. Since 2024, that support has increased by a full 38.63%.
And while some might seek to dismiss the problem as limited to a single rogue denomination, that’s simply not the case. IPA eliminated from its study schools belonging to denominations that have affirmed abortion — like the Disciples of Christ, Quakers, and Moravians. Even after eliminating those denominations, IPA found that over half the remaining denominations — those that have not expressed support for abortion — had at least one school with ties to abortion.
Clearly, the issue is not one that can be avoided by simply attending a school from a different denomination. For Christian pro-lifers seeking an education aligned with their values, the future seems grim.
But fortunately, the news isn’t all bad. According to IPA’s report, a full 50 ties between Christian schools and Planned Parenthood were severed during the 2024-2025 school year, thanks to interventions and awareness fostered by IPA. And after researchers reached out to offending schools in July 2025, four schools cut all ties to the abortion industry, and another four removed some.
This success points to the path forward. Higher education institutions depend on the support of students, parents, alumni, and donors. If these groups express undeniably—with their words and, if necessary, their pocketbooks—that they will not stand for compromise, Christian colleges will have no choice but to cut ties with the abortion industry or to stop falsely claiming the name of Christ.
I’m thankful that the school I attended, The Master’s University, a small Christian college north of Los Angeles, lives out its professed faith. Notably, it received an “A” rating in IPA’s report — meaning no ties to Planned Parenthood/the abortion industry were found. But the same should be true of all schools claiming Christianity.
If a student decides to attend a Christian school, they should know exactly what they’re getting: a school that affirms biblical truth, starting with the simple reality that every human life is sacred.
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Mary Mobley is a press specialist and online editor at Students for Life.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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