Catholic University of America students were left disturbed by a guest speaker who identified herself as an “abortion doula.” The speaker, Rachel Carbonneau, spoke about her experiences coaching women through delivering or aborting babies, which was met with immediate backlash from students. The Catholic University confirmed she was invited to speak to a psychology class by Melissa Goldberg, who has since defended her decision to invite the doula.
In addition to her experiences coaching women through abortions, the speaker also coaches “pregnant men” to deliver, which she refers to as “seahorse birth.” Carbonneau is also known to practice Reiki, a controversial Japanese method of spiritual healing and self-improvement.
The nursing students who sat through the lecture expressed concern over the university’s values and its stance on abortion, given that it is officially a pro-life institution. Felipe Avila, one of the nursing students who attended the class, said, “The fundamental point is to understand human development from conception to natural death, right? And they brought in someone who counsels women to terminate life.”
The term doula usually refers to a professional who provides physical and emotional support to a woman before, during, and shortly after childbirth. However, an “abortion doula”, according to Planned Parenthood, is someone who “provides physical and emotional support to a patient during their abortion process.”
The Catholic University confirmed that Carbonneau did not represent its values and vowed to prevent her from speaking to the class again. The incident has raised questions about the university’s policies on inviting speakers, and whether controversial figures should be allowed onto campus to speak. Despite the backlash, the university has not released an official statement on the incident.
