Contact: John Ritchie, Director, Tradition, Family and Property Student Action, 717-495-5427

HANOVER, Penn., May 18, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Thousands of Catholic students and parents are urging Boston College -- a Catholic institution -- to rescind its invitation to Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, who is slated to receive an honorary degree and deliver commencement remarks on May 20.

"Since Enda Kenny is openly promoting the killing of unborn children, Boston College is not only betraying its Catholic identity with this invitation, but it's undermining the God-given right to life in both America and Ireland," said John Ritchie, director of Tradition, Family and Property Student Action.

In four days, 7,800 people have signed an online petition launched by TFP Student Action at www.tfpstudentaction.org.

"Just as Irish Catholics struggle to keep their country abortion-free, Boston College will be rolling out the red carpet to honor a pro-abortion politician and give him a prestigious speaking platform," Ritchie stated.

"Catholic students would be better off not attending their own graduation. Because if Mr. Kenny's abortion proposal goes through, he will be responsible for turning the land of Saint Patrick into a pro-abortion wasteland."

While Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley is boycotting the event, Planned Parenthood is pleased with the arrangement. According to The Boston Globe, Marty Walz, president of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, called Mr. Kenny an "appropriate commencement speaker."

But TFP Student Action's spokesman disagrees:

"On the heals of the grisly Gosnell case that horrified the nation," Ritchie said, "it's mind-boggling why Boston College would choose to honor a pro-abortion politician who wants to import a culture of death that will only spawn more Gosnells in Ireland."

"The honorable thing to do would be to cancel the Prime Minister's appearance."

The TFP petition is located here.

TFP Student Action's mission is to defend moral values on college campuses nationwide. The Catholic group's 70,000 members and volunteers are often found on the front lines of the culture war, peacefully fighting to preserve the perennial values of Christian Civilization.