A Catholic college commencement speaker brouhaha

The surgeon, author and former ABC medical correspondent was hours away from leaving her home in California when she received a fax from University of Saint Francis President Sister M. Elise Kriss.

The letter informed Snyderman that the offer to speak had been rescinded.

“The university recently received information from (D’Arcy) containing comments by you on the topic of abortion, and these comments appear to be contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church,” the letter read. “As a Catholic university, we have no choice but to rescind our invitation.”

No keynote speaker will be featured at the event, but D’Arcy and U.S. Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, will receive honorary degrees and likely speak during the commencement.

Snyderman said she was disappointed by the school’s, and D’Arcy’s, decision.

“This is a poor step in my opinion, such a poor show of faith in a world where people aren’t even coming to the table to talk about their differences,” Snyderman said. “To assume you know what someone thinks or stands for is very dangerous.”

Attempts to reach Kriss and D’Arcy on Tuesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

During the story on “Good Morning America,” Snyderman discussed a woman who had suffered from infertility, but then had become pregnant with septuplets, Snyderman said.

Paraphrasing her previous report, Snyderman said it “was imprudent to deliver seven babies,” and said many doctors will suggest “selective reduction” – using abortion to reduce the number of fetuses to two or three or four – to increase the chances of survival for the remaining fetuses.

But Snyderman, an Episcopalian, said it was a medical report, not an _expression of her personal beliefs.