University Delays Fellowship Amid Abortion Controversy

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ The University of Minnesota has backed away from a medical school fellowship in reproductive health care training that included abortion procedures following opposition from anti-abortion groups.

The university took down the fellowship posting this month. The program was scheduled to begin in the fall.

A university spokesman says opposition to the fellowship began after an article was published earlier this month in Campus Reform, a conservative higher education news source.

An anti-abortion advocacy group called Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life contacted University President Eric Kaler and state legislators to express concern about the fellowship after the article's publishing.

Medical School Dean Jakub Tolar says the university has delayed the fellowship for a year so officials can examine the value of the training.