Middle School Student Punished for Silent Protest Plot Against Abortion, Inspired to protest after

Life Site News ^ | April 25, 2008 | Michael Baggot

[Coleus]

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, April 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "I want to save others from the same fate that I was almost put into," said 14-year-old Janelle Bushnell referring to a silent protest against abortion she has been punished for planning at her New Mexico middle school. Bushnell and a friend have been distributing flyers to fellow students at their James Monroe Middle School, encouraging them to wear red armbands and duct tape in protest of the scourge of abortion that has silenced the voices of so many of Bushnell's unborn peers.

Bushnell was inspired to protest abortion after learning that her biological mother was encouraged to abort her, before foster parents stepped in to take care of her. School officials argue that the planned protest disrupts the educational process because the protesting students will not be able to respond to questions when called upon in class. Bushnell's father argues that her daughter's protest could provide an unexpected, but valuable lesson to those in the school.

"She's trying to educate her peers about dangers that are going on right now.  Hopefully this is an educational process," said Janelle's adopted father Scott Bushnell. Bushnell has agreed to "take the punishment" of a daily silent lunch detention for her protest plot. Bushnell is not the first to face opposition for a silent protest of abortion in school. Last January, the Alliance Defense Fund pressed charges against the Shenendehowa Central School District on behalf of a 13-year-old in Albany, New York after her middle school prohibited her from duct taping her mouth in silent protest.

The Albany student was one of about 1,400 middle and high school students who took part in the 3rd Annual Students' Day of Silent Solidarity. "Students do not abandon their free speech rights when they set foot on campus," argued the student's ADF legal counsel Matt Bowman.  "The school's egregious actions in denying this student's free speech rights, while allowing students to speak on other issues, cannot be allowed to continue." Even the liberal American Civil Liberties Union has expressed support for students interested in silent protests against abortion.

In October, the legal director of the ACLU of Michigan Michael J. Steinberg publicly argued that Jackson, Michigan students had a constitutional free speech right to take part in silent abortion protests, despite objections from middle school officials. "The Supreme Court made it clear that school officials cannot censor student speech because it's controversial.  School is a place for the exchange of ideas," said Steinberg.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Middle School Principal Bars Student from Participating in National Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity

Learn more about the National Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity

 

Stand True

To respectfully contact James Monroe Middle School officials:

James Monroe Middle School
6100 Paradise Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114
(505) 897-0101
Principal: Vernon Martinez

[Former Dodger]

Thanks for posting this.

Here is the text of my message to the principal:

Sorry Principal Martinez, but Janelle Bushnell has the right to have a silent protest.

Perhaps if she was protesting the war in Iraq you would agree with her First Amendment rights.

Our Constitution protects Ms. Bushnell's right to "speak out", by not speaking.

School officials" have stated that the protest will disrupt the education process because students will not be able to respond when called upon in class. Is this because ALL students will be participating? Or will only "smart students" be participating?

However, thank you for denying her constitutional rights, it has given her more publicity than just her protest would have had you allowed it.

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[gogov]

I’ve done some teaching. There needs to be a give and take between the students and the teacher, and a student who won’t participate, well that’s a waste of good taxpayer money.

Well that is an interesting twist. Never would have I concluded one of the problem might be taxpayer dollars. Just how does it waste taxpayer dollars?

Is there no system in place at schools to deal with a disruptive student without violating there right to free speech. No one ever said a students free speech should be without consequences. Disrupt the class with your protest and you go to detention (or whatever they do these days).

[theymakemesick]

Maybe I'm dead wrong but these kids are showing more guts than I've witnessed from the Republican Party pols in recent years.

I wholeheartedly agree. Also, the brave principled kids could cut a slit in the tape where visually their mouths are taped shut but they could speak through the slit.

[Don W]

This brave young girl should accept the “silent lunch” punishment verbally, and then simply sing hymns after eating lunch.

Let’s use the “free exercise thereof” provision of the first amendment with extra vigor for this type of tripe.

[IIntense]

...my message to the principal:

We should all be objecting to these leftists in authoritive positions whenever they overstep their bounds. Agreeing with one another over the "kitchen table" accomplishes nothing.

Let's consider firing off emails (that's easy!) or snail mail to these tyrants more often than some of us have bothered to do.

Janelle Bushnell, for one, deserves our support.

[Wonderful Wizard]

ok... i went to this school and i had seen janelle around when i went there. she got lunch detention. that was it. lunch detention is no big deal there. hell, you can talk to whoever you want.

[Wonderful Wizard]

i agree that janelle deserves our support. i would do anything to get tht princelple back. i went to that school so i know how it worksand to be honest i’m really not surprised that he made her stop...

[pax_et_bonum]

If being able to respond in class is a requirement, then how are students who can’t speak English passing?