Principal to boy: Strip off 'insulting'
pro-life shirt
Student wears 'Abortion is not health
care' slogan to Obama school speech
A Christian middle-school student is suing his school district after a
principal ordered him to remove a T-shirt bearing the message "Abortion
is not health care" on the day of President Obama's speech to
schoolchildren.
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court
against the West Shore School District in Lewisberry, Pa., Oct. 5 on
behalf of a male, Christian middle-school student identified as E.B.
The boy's parents, identified as the Boyers, said they were concerned
about the president's speech and the national health-care debate,
including reported funding of abortion within proposed legislation.
"[T]he Boyers, like many others, felt that President Obama was
bypassing them and speaking directly to their children without their
permission," the complaint states. "… Like many others, the Boyers
struggled with whether they should send their children to school on
that day. E.B. attended school and decided to voice his religious
viewpoint as it relates to the issue of abortion."
The boy wore the T-shirt to his classes at Crossroads Middle School and
said he received no complaints until his fifth-period teacher ordered
him to go to the principal's office to determine whether the shirt was
"appropriate."
E.B. claims he was immediately told to remove his shirt "because it
might insult somebody."
Crossroads Middle School (photo: ADF)
ADF is challenging the following policies enforced by Crossroads Middle
School and the West Shore School District:
* "'Policy 220: Student Expression,' prohibits
speech which
'seeks[s] to establish the supremacy of a particular religious
denomination, sect, or point of view' and that which contain[s]
material otherwise deemed harmful to impressionable students.'"
* "'Policy 221: Dress and Grooming' prohibits
'clothing which
creates a hostile educational environment or evidences discriminatory
bias or animus' or displays 'inappropriate words.'"
"These are highly unconstitutional policies that demonstrate that
there's a widespread need for schools to be educated about the First
Amendment," ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman said in a statement.
"Under the current wording, a student could actually be prevented from
saying that his beliefs are true. The policies also allow officials
unrestricted discretion in determining what speech violates the
policies. In this case, they clearly singled out this student's
pro-life speech and illegitimately censored it."
According to the lawsuit, the school's "draconian censorship of
plaintiff's religious and political speech, and the policies on which
that censorship was based, violate First and Fourteenth Amendments to
the United States Constitution."
The complaint states that E.B. wishes to wear T-shirts expressing his
Christian faith and political views because he "desires to reach out to
his peers and to offer them advice, assistance, and education" and to
"discuss relevant issues facing students at school, including faith and
religion, personal responsibility, sexual abstinence, keeping children
in the event of pregnancy, just to name a few."
ADF's lawsuit argues, "Students do not shed their constitutional rights
at the schoolhouse gate."
"Pro-life students shouldn't be censored for their views," Cortman
said. "It's clearly unconstitutional for school officials to prohibit a
student's message on the grounds that someone might not like it. The
school routinely allows students to wear a wide variety of messages on
their shirts without any concerns, but this student has been singled
out even though his shirt caused no disruption and is clearly within
the bounds of constitutionally guaranteed free speech."
Contact: Chelsea Schilling
Source: WorldNetDaily
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Date: October 12, 2009
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.