Regis Jesuit High School fires advisers, pulls student magazine over pro-choice column

Two advisers of Regis Jesuit High School’s student-run magazine were fired and the private Catholic school in Aurora retracted the winter edition over a student’s opinion column that argued abortion should remain legal, one of the advisers confirmed Friday.

The student publication, Elevate, published its winter edition last month, according to a Dec. 17 letter by Regis Jesuit President David Card and Principal Jimmy Tricco explaining their decision to retract the magazine, which was first reported by Sentinel Colorado.

“An opinion piece that presented a stance on abortion clearly in opposition to Church teaching was included that we found both deeply troubling and unacceptable,” Card and Tricco wrote.

In bold type, the school officials’ letter continued: “First, we want to be clear that as a Catholic, Jesuit institution we believe that life begins at the moment of conception. We believe that protection of life at this stage represents the foundational requirement of respecting the dignity of human life at every stage. We are fully invested in disseminating and defending this and all Church teaching in all that we do.”

The letter said the school failed to properly guide students in this instance, adding: “While we believe in providing an avenue for student expression, we are taking steps now to consider the magazine’s editorial process to ensure its compatibility with and responsibility in representing the mission of Regis Jesuit.”

The winter edition of the publication, which can typically be found online, was removed entirely and replaced with the administration’s letter.

When asked whether the advisers of the magazine were still teaching at the school, Card wrote in an emailed response to The Denver Post: “As a rule, we do not comment on personnel matters.”