Students Take Pro-Life Message Into Public Schools With Legal Backing

    (Thomas More Law Center) ANN ARBOR, MI Marking the second annual "National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day," thousands of students across the country are preparing to bring the pro-life message to America's public schools on Tuesday. In addition to the pro-life messages on their clothing, students will also bring the legal backing of the Thomas More Law Center.

    The Law Center has pledged to defend the free speech rights of these pro-life students from any attempt by school officials to force them to remove their t-shirts. According to Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, "Abortion advocates are losing their grip on the American public, and are turning increasingly to public schools to indoctrinate our children into accepting abortion.

    Pro-life students from across the country are standing up for the rights of the unborn, and are bringing this message to their schools. We are proud to defend these courageous pro-life students."

    Each year the Thomas More Law Center receives numerous calls from students across the country whose rights have been violated by public school officials. This past February a student at Denbigh High School in Newport News, Virginia was censored for his sweatshirt that read, "Abortion is Homicide" and on the back stated, "You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life." The student was prevented from wearing the shirt because, according to the Assistant Principal, it violated school policy prohibiting profane or obscene language. The Law Center immediately sent a letter to the school demanding that the student be permitted to wear his pro-life sweatshirt, threatening a federal lawsuit if necessary. Within two days, attorneys for the school agreed that the student had a constitutional right to wear his pro-life sweatshirt. The Law Center has defended students in similar cases in Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine. "We anticipate that during this year's National Pro-Life T-shirt Day that some school officials will again attempt to silence the pro-life messages of students. And again, we will assist these students and their families without charge," continued Thompson.

Source: Thomas More Law Center
Publish Date: April 26, 2004