Student's Pro-Life T-shirt Is Equivalent to the Swastika Says School Principal

Thomas More Law Center ^ | 01/27/03 | Thomas More Law Center

[That Subliminal Kid]

NEWS UPDATE

 

January 27, 2003

 

Student?s Pro-Life T-shirt Is Equivalent to the Swastika Says School Principal; Thomas More Law Center Enters Fray

 

ANN ARBOR, MI ? The mother of an honor student at Abington Junior High School in Pennsylvania was told by the principal that her son?s pro-life t-shirt was unacceptable school clothing because its message was the equivalent of the swastika.  The t-shirt displayed the messages, ?Abortion is Homicide.  You will not silence my message.  You will not mock my God.  You will stop killing my generation.  Rock for Life.?

 

This past November, the principal told the student to either cover the shirt or turn the shirt inside out.  After the student turned the shirt inside out, his mother contacted the principal and was told that the message was inappropriate to be displayed in school.  He said the shirt and message were the equivalent of a swastika being displayed on a shirt, which the principal would not allow in school.  The mother and son then contacted the Thomas More Law Center.

 

The Thomas More Law Center?s Associate Counsel Edward White sent a four-page demand letter to school officials explaining the student?s clearly established constitutional right to wear his pro-life clothing and demanding that the school take immediate action to provide written assurance that he will be permitted to wear his pro-life shirt to school.  The Law Center explained that the student?s speech did not cause any substantial and material disruptions to the workings of the school and that there was no legal basis on which to restrict his speech.  The Law Center also noted that the mother and son have the option of seeking relief in federal court should the school not change its decision.  The Law Center requested a response from the school officials by January 31, 2003.

 

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[Aquinasfan]

You know that, and I know that, but you could never have that as a mission statement for a public school.

And that's my point. A public school cannot in principle provide a true education. Therefore, the problem is public schooling itself. The system must be destroyed or replaced.

A good first step toward better education for all children would be the implementation of a voucher program where at least all parents could choose a true education for their children.

[irish_links]

Aquinasfan:

For what it's worth, I support you whole-heartedly. It angers me that the labor unions and "progressive" elites who run the monopoly public academy can with impunity stifle free speach and impose a culture of death on our impressionable young minds, all the while compelling me to support their inefficient monopoly with tax dollars on the threat of imprisonment.

[freekitty]

Until someone starts firing these people who supposedly run our schools, nothing will change.

[Redbob]

That wouldn't by any chance be the Domino Pizza - Thomas More Law Center, would it?

[JudgemAll]

While defending the cause of truth and the process to find the truth is noble, there are times when words and prayers are superfluous or problematic. The next leftist who tells me abortion is right is going to get a verbal slap in the face from me: superstitions aside, abortion is murder.

[gundog]

Just last night I was thinking that a pink swastika would make a nice symbol for the "choice" crowd; of course, if it caught on, there's no way it would be banned from public schools.

[elfman2]

”...and therefore he should not be allowed to wear it????”

Only if you want your school to be a place where the kids wear any kind of in your face combative religious and political slogans they feel.

The t-shirt displayed the messages, ?Abortion is Homicide. You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life.?

There are plenty of anti-Christian, anti-Republican, anti-gay, anti-black, anti-war etc… equivalents of that. Maybe that would be an interesting school, but I doubt most administrators could manage it.

[Notwithstanding]

You are part of the problem.

[eccentric]

Seeing a message on a T-shirt or hearing a students comment is not the same as being confined to a classrom where the teacher says "Pick a side and defend it." Remember, in high school many girls are coerced into abortions by 'friends' and planned parenthood' or even forced into abortion by their parents. What a shock for them to see the truth in biology class after they were told it was just a blob. Classroom debates should be on something less personal.

[elfman2]

”You are part of the problem.”

Your problem is likely reality, and it’s deeper than the little part I play.

[LilithUnfair]

I can remember in Jr. High the principal tried to enforce a no heavy metal t-shirt rule. Amusingly, it backfired when a group of parents (who were hardly fans of metal) confronted the school over it. That dress code lasted about 3 days.

In high school, some teachers had a real problem with Teens For Life. They didn't want them to wear black armbands on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Again, it backfired.

A few years later, same high school tried to remove prayer from graduation ceremonies. A group of students protested saying they refused to participate if prayer was not allowed.

The last abortion related incident I know of was when my brother was in HS. Apparently the same school gave pro-choice students an excused absence if they wanted to travel to DC on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. However, the anti-abortion students were marked absent and unexcused for travel on the same day, same location.

The level of hypocrisy and intimidation never ceases to amaze me where public education is concerned. I vowed when I graduated to home or private school my children. A sentiment now echoed by my brother.

[Aquinasfan]

What a shock for them to see the truth in biology class after they were told it was just a blob. Classroom debates should be on something less personal.

First, there should be no debate regarding the morality of abortion because there is nothing to debate. There is no "other side." Abortion is evil. Period.

Secondly, the grisly nature of abortion should be made clear to children at as early an age as possible (perhaps 7th or 8th grade) in order to prevent future abortions.

I understand that this is a political impossibility at this time. Nevertheless, anyone who advocates a lesser policy is guilty of a serious dereliction of duty and is an accomplice to abortion by omission.

[Aquinasfan]

I vowed when I graduated to home or private school my children. A sentiment now echoed by my brother.

Me too. I don't understand how anyone who attended a government school would willingly subject his children to the same thing.

[A. Pole]

Pro-Life T-shirt Is Equivalent to the Swastika Says School Principal; Says School Principal

Hmm, I guess that this principal is completely misunderstood! Swastika is an ancient symbol of good luck, fertility and childbirth (long before Nazis adopted it as their sign) and the poor principal wanted only to give students and parents a history lesson.

[A. Pole]

Maybe the shirt reminds the principal of the Nazi's pro-life stance. I could be wrong, though.

One of the first things Nazis this in Poland was to introduce right for abortion on demand. They wanted supposedly lower races to be reduced in numbers. So their stand was not much pro-life as pro eugenics (what they shared with Planned Parenthood).

BTW, abortion is now illegal in Poland ( the responsible are those who commit this act, while mother is considered an abused victim together with her aborted child - as the normal mother is not seen as able to give truly informed consent).

[ladylib]

Not in this day and age. Not after hearing and reading about what has become of public schools over the past 30 years.

The next few years are going to be interesting. The technology is here for students to learn anywhere they want, anytime they want, about anything they want, and with whom they want without any government interference whatsoever.

Kids are on the cutting edge of technology. They will be the next generation of parents. They can see the possibilities.

[Smedley]

The t-shirt displayed the messages, ?Abortion is Homicide. You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life.?

The other day in the D.C. metro I saw a group of punk-rockers with cockatoo spiked hairdos with rainbow colors, plus all the other trappings of classic punk rockers, carrying signs "abortion is homicide".

Amazing and pleasing

[CyberCowboy777]

You are obviously oblivious to the common actions of principles and school administrators in these cases.

The TMLC has successfully resolved or won cases involving many schools and their arbitrary application of rules. Using the disruption claim to force removal of opposing points of view.

If every case I know of the TMLC has shown the school to be lying about the supposed disruption and the unequal singling out of right and religious points of view.

Through the light of history I can rest in my trust of what the TMLC says. The schools have not shown themselves trustworthy at all and have actually shown their willingness to lie.

That is how I come to my assumptions. You? What history do you have, why automatically trust a government organization?

Maybe you have an unspoken agenda here?

[iron tongue]

I assume you noted that I was being sarcastic, I had no idea about the history of abortion in Poland and how it relates to the Nazi's - but I would be interested in learning more, do you know of any good books on this topic?