Some 30 abortion foes protested an appearance on Wednesday at the Roman Catholic Seton Hill University by Douglas Kmiec, a professor of law at Pepperdine University who has been criticized for his support of Barack Obama.

Mr. Kmiec was to discuss why Senator Obama is the “right candidate for voters of faith.”

Seton Hill officials said in a statement that the university does not endorse Mr. Kmiec’s views but that student groups “may host political candidates or their representatives.” The appearance was sponsored by the campus Democratic club.

Shari Lewis, who helped organize the protest on Wednesday, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that a Catholic university like Seton Hill should not play host to a speaker like Mr. Kmiec.

“We asked that the speaker be called off because his rhetoric is against Catholic Church teaching,” Ms. Lewis told the newspaper.