Should a Catholic college host Planned Parenthood?

Yes and no. But mainly no.

''The prolife students get 'Respect Life Week,' said Kristen Lewandowski, 19, a sophomore who attended the Tuesday night lecture and handed out red and white T-shirts reading ''Pro-Choice." ''We can barely have this panel, which is not a protest, just a discussion. It's very frustrating."

Boston College, where 70 percent of the 8,900 undergraduates identify themselves as Catholic, is considered less conservative than some of its brethren.

Organizers of the abortion rights panel said they intentionally identified themselves as College Democrats, a group some of them belong to, because they knew their group could not gain college recognition and thus could not ask for campus space.

A new abortion rights group at Boston College, with the aid of a professor, rebelled against university officials and held its first major event this week, a panel discussion featuring the public affairs director for Planned Parenthood and three academics who are abortion rights supporters.

The clash highlights the struggle of religiously affiliated schools to honor academic freedom and expression and abide by Catholic tenets. In December, Boston College denied a permit for a dance sponsored by a gay and lesbian student group, saying it would advocate homosexuality in opposition to Catholic doctrine.

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noticed at Built on a Rock