Washington, D.C. (30 July 2010) – An elementary school student who participated in American Life League’s 2008 National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day is at the center of a First Amendment fight in California. The case is expected to go to trial in late August.
The former sixth grader at McSwain Union Elementary School in Merced, identified only as “T.A.” on court documents, wore the 2008 NPLTD shirt, which features two images of healthy developing preborn persons. School officials humiliated the girl in front of her classmates and ordered her to change the shirt. The school officials allege the shirt constituted “inappropriate subject matter.”
Judge Oliver W. Wanger, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, set Aug. 31 as the trial date.
“It is absolutely incredible, in this day when Planned Parenthood is pushing all kinds of pornographic material in schools for young people, that a shirt with two clear images of happy, healthy persons in the womb would elicit such a visceral response,” said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League.
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day has now evolved into National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week, observed each spring to increase awareness of the personhood of the preborn child and the tragedy of abortion.
“Why is the school worried about young children seeing a sonogram of a healthy person in the womb when, more than likely, these children have similar pictures of their siblings hanging on a refrigerator at home?” Sedlak asked. “We fully expect this student’s free speech rights to be upheld by the jury. American Life League will continue to encourage the right to free speech as young people clamor for justice in the womb.”
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
First Amendment Center: Pro-Life T-Shirt Censorship Case Goes to Jury (26 July 2010)
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=23197
Creative Minority Report: Pro-Life Censorship in School?
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2010/07/pro-life-censorship-in-school.html
California Catholic: “Inappropriate Subject Matter” (29 July 2010)
http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=cc39c1fe-ad65-41c7-87f0-1b79221cfb63
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