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In theory you may be correct, but in practice the States actually do more to harm free speech. Every State has a system of vanity plates accompanied by "Censorship Committees." I would almost guarantee you that you would not be allowed to have a license plate with the letters FAAA Q, when no one could legally challenge your desire to have the same letters in the form of a bumper sticker.

There are numerous examples, here in Virginia, of people having their plates pulled because they offended another citizen. Years ago a woman in the Virginia Beach area had a plate pulled by the state because it spelled MESSIAH backwards. Someone complained because it mixed religion with the state. A friend of mine was incensed over the state doing that. A few months later I did something to prove the point even further. I was cut-off by someone in a red sports car that had the plates, U SINNR. I penned off a note to the Secretary of State in Richmond and stated that "Sinner" was defined as a violation of religious law and that I was offended by the plate. A couple of months later I received a very nice letter from the Secretary thanking me for my vigilance and assured me that the offending plate had been pulled. My friend was even more upset when I told him about it.

You are unnecessarily co-mingling the three related but distinct Constitutional issues contained within the 1st Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and prohibition of an established religion.

State advocacy of the "Choose Life" view is a policy issue, not a religion issue.

While the scriptures of the predominate religion in the US (Christianity) favor educating children, the state is Constitutionally allowed to promote education as well, without such promotion being considered state-sponsored "religious" speech.

So too, with promotion of childbirth over abortion.

And remember: Abortion and dropping out of school are both legally protected activities.

If you are upset that the government chooses to express a view, then you have a problem with the Constitution.

The Constitution does NOT prohibit the government from choosing to promote all sorts of views.

I agree that the license plate has become a public forum of sorts, and to the extent that such forum is censored, I too, think that may reaily get out of control and turn into unconstitutional censorship based on content.

Every State has a system of vanity plates accompanied by "Censorship Committees.

A recent instance was in Vermont where a woman applied for a vanity plate reading "Irish." It was turned down as it was determined that it could offend some people. I think the person was going to appeal the ruling but I've not heard anything since.