For the last month, the SLU chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice planned to host the “Myths, Truths and Facts: Planned Parenthood” forum at the law school. The event was advertised to be a discussion about Planned Parenthood and the legal climate the organization faces in Missouri.

The organization has become the focus of intense national attention following the release of doctored videos alleging profiteering from fetal tissue.

That national scrutiny likely led to the last-minute pivot by the law students to move their event to a new location.

The change in location was set into motion shortly after noon on Monday when SLU President Fred Pestello contacted the student group and asked for a meeting.

The university did not make Pestello available to comment Tuesday, but Jeff Fowler vice president for marketing and communications said it was called over “concerns coming from several places.”

Some of those concerns, Fowler said, came from people who felt it would be inappropriate for a Catholic university to host an organization that provides abortion services.

Planned Parenthood supporters point out that the organization is centered on women’s health, and that abortion services account for a fraction of the health care services the nonprofit offers.

Fowler called the discussion between Pestello and the law students thoughtful and collaborative.

“A number of concerns were raised,” he said. “We are a university, a place where different points of view are discussed, but we’re also a Catholic university.”

Keri Smith, a law school student and president of the Law Students for Reproductive Justice said ultimately the students decided to move their event.

She said Pestello was sympathetic to the students and did not try to pressure or intimidate them during the meeting.

But still, Smith said she did not feel as if the students were going to prevail in keeping the meeting at its originally scheduled location.

“I think this had to do with what I believe was external pressures,” she said. “I feel if we would’ve stood our ground the event would’ve been canceled.”

Moving the event off school property prompted a few dozen SLU law students to briefly take to the streets Tuesday.

Roughly 60 students holding signs that read, “Free speech is good, follow us to Planned Parenthood” and “I stand with Planned Parenthood,” marched a few blocks from the lobby at SLU’s School of Law to the event’s new location at a nearby hotel.