Illinois Parents Sue Obama: Indecency in Schools

Attorneys representing 73 parents and 63 students in suburban Chicago filed a lawsuit this week against the Obama Administration and the largest high school district in Illinois for colluding to invade the privacy of students in the girls restrooms and locker rooms using new unlawful "transgender rights" edicts.

“It’s important to recognize that there’s a lagging legal framework in the face of rapidly changing social norms.  Our understanding of gender identity is changing, and the law hasn’t kept up.”
-- Francisco Negrón, National School Boards Association General Counsel

"No school should impose a policy like this against the will of so many parents.”
-- Vicki Wilson, Illinois parent and co-founder of Students and Parents for Privacy (lead plaintiff)

“Allowing boys into girls’ locker rooms, a setting where girls are often partially or fully unclothed, is a blatant violation of student privacy. The school district should rescind its privacy-violating policies, and the court should order the Department of Education to stop bullying school districts with falsehoods about what federal law requires.”
-- Jeremy Tedesco, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom

“To impose such a rule on still-developing teenage girls, as they’re already struggling with puberty’s changes on their bodies and social pressures to look a certain way, undermines their dignity and tells them that their rights don’t matter. This isn’t a message our schools should be sending to our girls.”
-- Jocelyn Floyd, Attorney, Thomas More Society

For background, read Department of Education Demands Communal Nudity in Illinois Public Schools Using Full Force of Federal Government but as of last week a Florida School Challenges President Obama's Transgender Bathroom Regulations

Also read Chicago Schools Force Co-ed Hotel Rooms for Trips

UPDATE 5/12/16: North Carolina Parents & Students Sue Obama's Transgender Agenda

UPDATE 9/9/16: Minnesota School Sued for Permitting Boy to Flash & Harass Girls in Locker Room

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

President Obama's OSHA Teams Up with EEOC to OK Perverts in Employees' Restrooms

Washington, D.C.'s Bathroom 'Bigot Snitch' Law

Homosexual, Lesbian Teachers Arrested for Sex with Students

Lesbian Seminar Teaching Kids How to be Homosexual

Transgenderism Taught to Kindergartners Across America







-- From "Illinois Families Sue Over Transgender Access to Locker Room" by Michael Tarm, Associated Press 5/4/16

Lawyers for Alliance Defending Freedom and Thomas More Society, two conservative groups, filed the 77-page suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago on behalf of 51 families with links to Palatine-based Township High School District 211. It names the district and the U.S. Department of Education as defendants.

The battle for access to girls' facilities at William Fremd High School by the transgender student — who was born male but identifies as female — helped spark a national debate last year that has since spread to other districts.

The [new transgender] policy, [the lawsuit] says, causes other girls fear and embarrassment. It adds: They are "afraid they will have to see a male in a state of undress," which, for some, is a "distraction throughout the school day." One girl's anxiety led her to wear gym clothes under her street clothes so she can peel just the outer clothes off in the locker.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Illinois group sues Obama administration over transgender students’ bathroom access" by Emma Brown, Washington Post 5/4/16

A group of Illinois students and parents sued the Obama administration Wednesday over its stance on transgender students’ access to school bathrooms and locker rooms, arguing that the U.S. Education Department is illegally forcing local authorities to let children use facilities that correspond to their gender identity.

The complaint alleges that the federal government has violated students’ fundamental right to privacy and parents’ constitutional right to instill moral standards and values in their children.

The lawsuit represents the first legal challenge to the Obama administration’s interpretation of Title IX, a federal anti-discrimination law, as providing transgender students with the right to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity instead of their biological sex.

Palatine officials — facing the loss of $6 million in federal funding — ultimately decided to allow a transgender student to change in the girls locker room instead of sending her down the hall to a separate facility.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Transgender Restroom Fight Spreads to Illinois" by Jack Bouboushian, Courthouse News Service 5/5/16

Students and Parents for Privacy and three female students sued the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary of Education John King, the Department of Justice, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Cook County, Ill., and the directors of Township High School District 211 in Illinois Federal Court on Wednesday.

"This is a civil rights action to stop the Department of Education and Township High School District 211 from continuing to trample students' privacy and other constitutional and statutory rights by forcing 14- to 17-year-old girls to use locker rooms and restrooms with biological males; and to set aside DOE's ultra vires legislative rule redefining 'sex' in Title IX to include gender identity," the 83-page complaint begins.

"This creates an intimidating and hostile environment for the girl members of Students and Parents for Privacy, some of whom are as young as 14, because Student A - who is biologically a male - actively uses their private facilities at the same times as plaintiffs," the complaint states. "As a direct result of defendants' policies and actions, every day these girls go to school, they experience embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, fear, apprehension, stress, degradation, and loss of dignity because they will have to use the locker room and restroom with a biological male."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Lawsuit filed after transgender student gets locker room access in Palatine" by Duaa Eldeib and Dawn Rhodes, Chicago Tribune 5/5/16

The District 211 transgender student, who has not been identified publicly, initially filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights alleging that the district discriminated against [Student A] when it denied [him] access to the girls locker room. The district had previously allowed the student to use the girls restroom.

In an unprecedented decision, federal education authorities found that the district had violated Title IX. The district risked losing millions of federal dollars and a possible lawsuit by the federal government if it failed to reach a resolution. In a controversial decision, the district agreed in December to allow the student locker room access and installed privacy stalls. Proponents of the settlement heralded it as a civil rights victory.

The religious liberty group Thomas More Society also is representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which seeks to keep the district from enforcing the locker room agreement and restroom policy and to bar the Department of Education from taking action against the district. The plaintiffs also argue in the suit that the locker room agreement prevents students from practicing the modesty that their faith requires of them.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "NW suburban families file lawsuit in transgender locker room case" by Maudlyne Ihejirika, Chicago Sun-Times 5/4/16

The lawsuit, Students and Parents for Privacy v. United States Department of Education, seeks an injunction against District 211. Headquartered in Palatine, it serves nearly 12,500 students from Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Schaumburg and parts of seven other northwest suburbs in five high schools and two alternative high schools.

It also asks the court to declare the policy and the district’s agreement with the Department of Education unconstitutional and illegal under both federal and Illinois law, and to have the court invalidate the department’s interpretation of Title IX’s sex discrimination provisions.

District 211 Supt. Dan Cates said Wednesday that the district affirms and supports the identity of all its students and will stand by the highly publicized agreement it reached last December with the department’s Office for Civil Rights. . . .

“We have implemented the agreement without any reports of incident or issue,” Cates said. “Our students have shown acceptance, support and respect of each other. Individual changing stalls in our locker rooms are readily available to every student and further accommodations that provide even greater privacy remain available upon request.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Obama plans new push for transgender rights in schools" by Caitlin Emma, Politico 5/6/16

The divisive and politically combustible issue of bathroom access for transgender individuals is about to become further inflamed, as the Obama administration is expected in coming weeks to aggressively reinforce its position that transgender student rights are fully protected under federal law, sources told POLITICO.

With the Justice Department already locking horns with North Carolina over the state’s so-called bathroom bill, the administration plans to reaffirm its view that robust protections for transgender students are within the existing scope of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. Multiple agencies are expected to be involved.

New guidance on Title IX represents a natural outgrowth of the administration’s aggressive agenda on gender equity and civil rights. In April 2014, guidance issued by the Education Department on sexual violence explicitly mentioned that transgender students are protected under Title IX. LGBT advocates saw it as an important moment for the transgender community, but have wanted the administration to go even further in clarifying the law.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Federal Government Survey Shows 'Sexual Orientation' is Learned Behavior, NOT Genetic

And read Gay Agenda Increases Suicides of Young Men: Study

In addition, read Transgenderism is a 'Delusion' According to Victims and Professionals

UPDATE 6/7/16: PBS Praises Transgender Activism of Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky (video)

Student Booted for Being Christian: Missouri Univ.

Attorneys for Andrew Cash have filed a federal lawsuit against Missouri State University (MSU) saying that the graduate student was kicked out of a master's counseling program because he said that validating same-sex marriage violated his religious beliefs.

“[Andrew Cash] was targeted and punished for expressing his Christian worldview regarding a hypothetical situation concerning whether he would provide counseling services to a gay/homosexual couple. . . . Since he did not give the ‘correct’ answer required by his counseling instructors, he was considered unsuitable for counseling and terminated from the program.”
-- Complaint, filed in the Western District of Missouri Court

For background, read MSU Prof Required Students to Sign Petition Supporting 'Gay' Adoptions

Also read Federal Courts OK Christians being Expelled from Eastern Michigan University and also from Augusta State University for Biblical Beliefs

Click headlines below to read the latest news of "higher education" promotion of the Gay Agenda:

Bibles Removed, Deviant Sex Housing Added at Illinois University

Go To Jail for Bible Speech, Says Univ. of Texas Police

Christian Restaurant Rejected at University of Nebraska

Also read Toilet Privacy Banned in ALL Restrooms at New York College

-- From "Missouri State student says he was kicked out of school because he wouldn't counsel gay couples" by The Associated Press 4/23/16

Andrew Cash said he was removed from the master's counseling program at Missouri State in 2014 after telling a professor in 2011 he would not counsel gay couples. Cash started the program in 2007.

The Thomas More Society, a Chicago-based public interest law firm, filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Cash. The lawsuit in federal court in Springfield names the university's board of governors and several school officials as defendants. It claims the university denied Cash's rights to religion and free speech and seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages.

According to the lawsuit, W. K. Boyce, executive director of the Christian-based counseling center where Cash interned, made a presentation to one of Cash's classes in 2011. In response to a question during that presentation, Boyce said he would counsel gay individuals separately but would refer gay couples to other counselors who did not share his religious beliefs.

About a week later, Cash's internship coordinator questioned Cash about his own views on counseling gay couples, the lawsuit said. Cash said he also would counsel gay people individually but refer them to someone else for couple counseling.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "MSU sued by student who told professor he wouldn't counsel gay couples" by Harrison Keegan, Springfield News-Leader 4/21/16

The lawsuit says Cash was a student at MSU in January 2011 when he began an internship at the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute, a Christian-based organization.

Cash told his internship coordinator, Kristi Perryman, that he would also not counsel gay couples, according to the lawsuit, and Perryman told Cash that went against the American Counseling Association's code of ethics.

The lawsuit says Perryman told Cash he was not allowed to continue his internship at the Springfield Marriage and Family institute because of "ethical concerns."

In November 2014, the lawsuit says, Cash was removed from the master's program. The lawsuit says he had a 3.81 GPA.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Student Sues MSU" by John Thomas, KTTS-FM94.7 (Springfield, MO) 4/22/16

Andrew Cash claims the University is violating its mission of being a place for free exchange of ideas and values, both religious and secular.

"Traditionally, universities have been places for free exchange of ideas and values, both religious and secular," said Thomas Olp, Executive Director and Attorney for the Thomas More Society. "Unfortunately, Missouri State University departed from its mission by denying educational opportunity to Mr. Cash simply because he expressed, in an academic setting, sincerely-held religious beliefs which his advisor deemed hostile to her own and therefore unacceptable.

"An educator should not permit her own ideology and agenda to ruin the educational opportunities of her students. We feel the responsibility, on Mr. Cash's behalf, to try to correct this."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "It's not the first time MSU has faced 'religious freedom' lawsuit" by Alissa Zhu, Springfield News-Leader 4/25/16

Emily Brooker sued the university in 2006, accusing the school and a faculty member of violating her First Amendment rights when she refused to sign a letter supporting same-sex adoption. Brooker was a student in the School of Social Work.

Brooker alleged in her lawsuit that faculty members interrogated her for over two hours and asked her questions such as: “Do you think gays and lesbians are sinners?” and “Do you think I am a sinner?”

Brooker made national headlines before reaching a settlement with the university.

David Kaplan, the chief professional officer of the American Counseling Association, said students in other states have filed lawsuits against schools when they felt their religious beliefs came in conflict with the professional association's code.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Student files suit against MSU after being dismissed from counseling program due to his faith" posted at Houston (Missouri) Herald 4/27/16

. . . [Cash's] suit claims that he was unable to complete his counseling curriculum, and is now prevented from working as a counselor, causing him daily emotional suffering. He is seeking for MSU to reinstate him in his counseling program with safeguards put in place so that he can successfully earn his degree.

As a part of the degree program, students are required to complete clinical internship hours. Cash started his internship in January 2011 with the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute, which had been approved by MSU as an internship site. At least one other student in the M.S. in Counseling program had previously completed an internship there. The Institute is a Christian-based counseling agency, and MSU knew this when it approved Cash's internship in January 2011.

. . . Although Cash worked with the administration to find a different internship, the faculty advisor required him, as a condition of being re-accepted to a new internship, to prove to her that he "had learned something from the experience at the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute."  Later, the same advisor wrote a letter to department officials claiming that it appeared to her – despite a total lack of evidence – that she suspected that Cash had not recanted from his earlier-stated religious views. She then made a recommendation, which was accepted, to force Cash into "remediation."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Catholic University Suspends Employee for Espousing Catholic Views

Florida Police Let Abortionists Prohibit Prayer

After a challenge from pro-life lawyers, police in Hollywood, Florida now claim they never told Christians that the government would support attempts by the local abortion clinic to force eviction of praying pro-lifers from the public sidewalk at the clinic.

"It's not loud prayer. It's simply praying for the unborn child and for women."
-- John Hickey, Volunteer, 40 Days for Life Hollywood

For background, read Maine Sues Pastor for Preaching Too Loud on Abortion, but Court Orders Portland, Maine to Pay $56,500 for Muzzling Pro-lifer

Also read U.S. Supreme Court Rules Unanimously that Christians are Free to Speak near Abortion Clinics

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Christians Arrested for Praying Too Loud Near Chicago Abortion Clinic

Pastor's Wife Fined for Praying Too Loud in North Dakota

California Law Forces Abortion Business on Pro-lifers

Also read Pro-lifers March on Washington, D.C. Amid Government Shutdown

And read how public schools across America muzzle pro-life students and ban pro-life student clubs.

-- From "Antiabortion Protesters Say Hollywood Police Violated Their Constitutional Rights" by Jerry Iannelli, New Times Broward-Palm Beach 2/22/16

Representatives from Hollywood, Florida's 40 Days for Life chapter say that five times over the past three years, the group has, successfully and without incident, held prayer vigils outside A Woman's Center of Hollywood, an abortion provider located on Hollywood Boulevard. During such vigils, group members pray and try to educate women about alternatives to abortion.

But on February 10, three group members claim, a Hollywood Police officer ordered them off a sidewalk, violating their constitutional rights of free speech and assembly. While they are now demanding an apology from the police department, the department claims the protesters had actually been trespassing on private property.

. . . The group provided documentation that shows it applied for a permit to assemble outside the center from February 10 to March 20.

The group says three or four people were praying outside the center for 12 hours a day, each day.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Florida police block pro-life peaceful protest at abortion clinic, Thomas More Society responds" posted at The Global Dispatch 2/19/16

Thomas More Society attorneys have sent a letter to the City of Hollywood, Florida, and the Hollywood Police Department challenging a police officer’s recent order forbidding pro-lifers from standing on a public sidewalk in front of a clinic that performs abortions, apparently at the clinic’s request. On the first day of the Spring 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside A Woman’s Center of Hollywood abortion facility, Officer Del Castillo of the Hollywood Police Department told pro-life volunteers that they could not stand on the public sidewalk in front of the abortion clinic. Thomas More Society contends that this demand is a blatant violation of the pro-lifers’ First Amendment rights.

This is the third year that volunteers participating in the 40 Days for Life Hollywood prayer vigils have had a peaceful presence on the public property – including both the sidewalk and swale (grassy area between the street and sidewalk) – outside A Woman’s Center. However, last week, on the first day of this years’ campaign, Officer Del Castillo of the Hollywood Police Department told the pro-lifers that they could not stand on the public sidewalk because the clinic had said they did not want the pro-lifers there.  He stated that the abortion clinic has the right to determine who may and may not stand on the sidewalk in front of its building.  He implied that if this order was not obeyed, pro-lifers could be ticketed.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Thomas More Society Challenges Public Sidewalk Restriction at Abortion Clinic" posted at Christian Newswire 2/17/16

"Forbidding pro-lifers from standing on public property violates 75 years of clear Supreme Court precedent that gives broad protections to those engaging in free speech in public places," said Corrina Konczal, Thomas More Society Associate Counsel. "We are confident that, once the city and Chief of Police are made aware of this officer's unconstitutional ban, that they will reverse this order and assure our clients of their rights to publicly pray and hold signs on any sidewalk in the city."

. . . The attorneys' missive notes specifically that "Officer Del Castillo's order is a clearly unconstitutional restriction of our clients' freedom of speech in a traditional public forum – a public sidewalk." The letter requests a response from the city and police department by this Friday.

"We should not be banned from the public sidewalk just because we're pro-life," said John Hickey, a 40 Days for Life Hollywood volunteer. "We're exercising our First Amendment rights by holding a peaceful prayer vigil to help women and unborn children. Hopefully, Officer Del Castillo's supervisors will reverse his incorrect order so that our free speech will be respected for the rest of the 40 Days vigil."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Federal Judge Censors Pro-life Ads on Indiana Buses

And read Oregon Woman Fired for Being Pro-life Leader

Maine Sues Pastor: Preaching Too Loud on Abortion

Maine Attorney General Janet Mills filed a civil rights lawsuit against Lisbon Pastor Brian Ingalls for peacefully preaching a pro-life message outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Portland. Abortionists appealed to the pro-abortion Democrat AG saying that pregnant mothers inside their facility could hear the pastor's concerns about “murdering babies, aborted babies’ blood and Jesus.”

For background, read Court Orders Portland to Pay $56,500 for Muzzling Pro-lifer





-- From "Maine sues anti-abortion protester, claiming he shouts too loud" by Dave Sherwood, Reuters 11/10/15

"All patients have the right to receive medical services free of 'the cacophony of political protests,' in the words of the United States Supreme Court," Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement. "While protesters have every right to say anything they want in a public area in the vicinity of a medical facility, they are not permitted to disrupt another citizen's healthcare services."

Maine law protects the right of any person to receive "safe and effective" medical services without disruptions caused by loud noises.

According to the complaint, police warned Ingalls to keep his voice down so that he would not be heard inside, but he continued yelling anyway.

The lawsuit would prevent Ingalls, a regular protester at the clinic, from coming within 50 feet (15 m) of the facility.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Maine sues Planned Parenthood foe, says he yelled too loudly" by Patrick Whittle, Associated Press 11/11/15

Attorney General Janet Mills filed the complaint against Brian Ingalls, 26, under the state's civil rights act. Mills said he violated the rights of patients at the Portland facility on Oct. 23 when the sound of his voice directed to the second floor disrupted counseling sessions between staff and patients.

Ingalls, of Lisbon, declined to comment when reached by email. His attorney, Erin Kuenzig, said it's a "baseless lawsuit" filed to circumvent a U.S. Supreme Court ruling about protester buffer zones. . . . The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that similar buffer zones in Massachusetts violated free speech rights.

"They're trying to claim that it's some kind of safety concern that he was preaching the Bible on a public sidewalk," Kuenzig said. "Just completely meritless."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "AG accuses man of civil rights violations during Planned Parenthood protest" by Christopher Cousins, Staff, Bangor Daily News 11/10/15

The suit filed in Cumberland County Superior Court alleges that Ingalls frequently is a protester at the Portland Planned Parenthood location and on Oct. 23 “was yelling up toward the second floor of the building at 443 Congress St. about murdering babies, aborted babies’ blood and Jesus.”

Erin Kuenzig is with the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing Ingalls in this suit. She said that Mills’ suit is an attempt to rehash a prior legal battle the law center fought against Portland when the city tried and ultimately failed to implement a 39-foot buffer zone for protests around Planned Parenthood’s Congress Street location.

“The complaint that was filed was completely meritless and just an attempt to circumvent the court ruling issued in October,” Kuenzig said by phone Tuesday. “This is essentially another buffer zone. … It’s clear that Planned Parenthood doesn’t like what Mr. Ingalls is saying, and he’s simply a Christian who is preaching from the Bible.”

Kuenzig said one flaw in the complaint is that there is no guideline about how loud someone can protest.

“There’s no way to judge that,” she said. “This is just another way to try to silence pro-life advocates outside the abortion clinic.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Pastor's Wife Fined for Praying Too Loud in North Dakota

Christians Arrested for Praying Too Loud Near Chicago Abortion Clinic

Indiana Town Denounces Loud, Praying Christians

Missouri Police Steal Preacher's Amplifier to Shut Him Up

Pastor Arrested in California for Reading Bible in Public

Christian Jailed in Texas for Witnessing on Sidewalk

Buffalo, NY Police Boot Christian from Festival for Talking

Jesus Talk Outlawed in New Orleans, Arrests Made

Preacher Arrested: 'Breach of the Peace' on Street

Virginia Police Halt Bible 'Noise,' Preacher Sues City & Wins

Pastor Wins Free Speech Lawsuit Over California Mall

Police Say Prayer Illegal Outside U.S. Supreme Court Building

Christians Arrested for Praying at Gay Festival

Praying Mother Banned from School Grounds in New Hampshire

N. Dakota Bans Prayer at Catholic School Football

Prayers will be heard over the PA system today, just like every other football day at Shanley High School, a Catholic school in Fargo, North Dakota where an emblematic Christian cross is displayed on the 50-yard line, despite a prayer ban by the state sports association claiming that prayer is illegal when the Catholic players compete on their own field during a playoff game.

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Football Coach Forced to Stop Praying After Games in Washington

Arizona Schools Ban Christian Football Coaches

Atheists Threaten Georgia School for 'Football Baptisms'

Also read North Carolina Citizens Demand Prayer in Public School

And read North Dakota Pastor's Wife Fined for Praying Too Loud

-- From "Law firm wants school association to suspend prayer ban" by The Associated Press 11/7/15

A non-profit law firm has asked the North Dakota State High School Activities Association [NDHSAA] to suspend its ban on prayer during a football playoff game at Fargo Shanley High School.

KFGO says attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society in Chicago is representing Shanley High School. Breen says he thinks the policy may be unconstitutional.

Breen says the Supreme Court has ruled it's unconstitutional to require private schools to give up their religious identity in order to participate in government sponsored programs.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Attorneys for Shanley High School say ban on prayer at playoff games is unconstitutional" by Grace Lyden, WDAY-TV6 (Fargo, ND) 11/6/15

"Shanley is not a governmental actor. It is a private school, with a religious identity," the [Thomas More Society] letter stated. "When it hosts sports events, it does so as a private actor, and its religious expression cannot legitimately be characterized as that of the state.

"It's played at their facility, but it is a postseason game," [NDHSAA] assistant director Justin Fletschock said. "The postseason contests are controlled by high school activities association."

"This 'sponsorship' is illusory; in all material respects, Shanley will be hosting the game exactly as it does in the regular season — it will, for example, run ticket sales, organize and sell concessions, provide an announcer to announce the game, and provide down markers," the letter from Peter Breen and Jocelyn Floyd said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "North Dakota Officials Urged to Reverse Ban on Prayer at Catholic School Football Game" posted at Thomas More Society 11/6/15

“The Constitution doesn’t require the State of North Dakota to police pre-game prayers at Christian and Catholic high schools,” said Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Special Counsel. “People of faith don’t give up their freedoms of speech and religion just because they are engaged in state-sponsored sporting events. We urge the Activities Association to allow member schools with faith traditions to express their faith during post-season games, just as they do during the regular season.”

Shanley has led a prayer at its school football stadium before each of its regular season games, but it is prohibited Association policy from leading a prayer before the playoff game, as Association representatives have claimed that such a prayer would violate the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution.

The religious identity of the hosting school will be unquestionable, as all attendees will also be “looking down on a massive Christian cross, featured in the Shanley crest, which is emblazoned in the center of the field at the fifty-yard line.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Catholic High School Football Program Banned From Praying Plans To Defy Rule" by Casey Harper, Daily Caller 11/6/15

. . . now that it is playoff time, the school says the [NDHSAA] association specifically told them they were not allowed to pray at Saturday’s game, which will be held at Shanley High’s field.

Shanley High School has teamed up with the Thomas More Society, a religious liberty legal group, and intends to defy the rule. The school sent a letter to the association Friday informing them of their intention to disobey, and that letter was provided to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Shanley High School argues in the letter they are clearly a religious institution not subject to separation of church and state requirements.

While the association says allowing the prayers would violate the Establishement Clause as an official endorsement of religion, the school argues that actually denying the right to pray is the real violation of the First Amendment.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ban on prayer at playoff games is unconstitutional, attorneys for Shanley High School say" by Grace Lyden, INFORUM (Fargo, ND) 11/6/15

Association leaders say [the prayer ban has] been the case during playoff season for 15 years. Although private schools are allowed to broadcast prayers before regular-season home games, playoff games are technically hosted by the association, which is public.

In previous postseason games held at Shanley, the school has skipped its usual prayer, said Michael Smith, superintendent of the Saint John Paul II Catholic Schools Network.

But for several years, administrators have started to wonder whether that’s right.

“We really wanted to make a formal request to the high school association and let them know there is a different perspective, and we wanted to hear their take on that,” Smith said.

Smith said Shanley has prayers before all of the school’s home events. At its football game against Central Cass three weeks ago, the Rev. Charles LaCroix led the crowd in prayer.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Deny God, or Fail, Texas Teacher Tells Students

Pro-lifers Muzzled — Maine City Must Pay $56,500

As a result of a consent judgment approved by Judge Nancy Torresen of the U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, the city of Portland will pay legal fees of pro-lifers who were barred from public property near the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic by an unconstitutional ordinance.

“This judgment is significant because it is a formal and binding legal recognition that the city of Portland violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights through its ‘buffer zone’ ordinance. There was no legitimate basis for banning the plaintiffs and other law-abiding citizens from using the public sidewalk surrounding Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic during the company’s business hours.”
-- Erin Kuenzig, Attorney with the Thomas More Law Center in Michigan

For background, read U.S. Supreme Court Rules Unanimously that Christians are Free to Speak near Abortion Clinics

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Government Pays $275,000 for Pro-lifers' False Arrests

Idaho University Pays $20,000 to Unmuzzle Pro-lifers

Wyoming Pays $30,000 for Censoring Pro-life Posters

Harassment of Pro-lifers Costs Illinois City $$

Ohio College Pays $9,000 for Censoring Pro-life Free Speech

-- From "Portland settles lawsuit bought by anti-abortion activists over no-protest zone ordinance" by The Associated Press 10/21/15

The city of Portland has settled a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion activists challenging an ordinance that established a 39-foot no-protest zone around a clinic providing abortions.

The suit alleged that the ordinance, responsible for creating the buffer zone around a Planned Parenthood location's entrance, violated their free speech rights. A 2014 U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that a similar no-protest zone in Massachusetts was in violation of free speech rights.

The Portland City Council repealed the ordinance in question soon after, but a judge determined that protesters could still seek damages for when the buffer zone was in effect.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Portland settles lawsuit, must pay abortion protesters’ legal fees" by Scott Dolan, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald 10/21/15

Jessica Grondin, spokeswoman for the city of Portland, said the City Council “acted swiftly” by repealing the city ordinance at its first meeting after the Supreme Court ruled in the Massachusetts case.

An attorney for the activists – Daniel and Marguerite Fitzgerald of Shapleigh and their children and Richmond resident Leslie Sneddon – said last year, after the city repealed its buffer zone ordinance, that they wanted to continue the federal court litigation against the city to set a precedent.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "High court voids abortion clinic protest-free zone" by Mark Sherman, Associated Press 6/26/14

The Supreme Court unanimously struck down the 35-foot protest-free zone outside abortion clinics in Massachusetts Thursday [June 2014], declaring it an unconstitutional restraint on the free-speech rights of protesters.

While the court was unanimous in the overall outcome, [Chief Justice John] Roberts joined with the four liberal justices to strike down the buffer zone on narrower grounds than the other, more conservative justices wanted.

In a separate opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia criticized Roberts’ opinion as carrying forward “this court’s practice of giving abortion-rights advocates a pass when it comes to suppressing the free-speech rights of their opponents.”

Scalia said state and local governments around the country would continue to be able to “restrict antiabortion speech without fear of rigorous constitutional review.” Joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas, Scalia dissented from the Colorado decision and said Thursday he would have overturned it.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Judge dismisses most of lawsuit over since-repealed abortion clinic buffer zone" by Seth Koenig, Bangor Daily News Staff 10/27/14

A federal judge on Monday declared most aspects of a lawsuit against the city of Portland moot, pointing out that the abortion clinic buffer zone being challenged in the lawsuit was repealed by the city months ago.

But U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen stopped short of dismissing the lawsuit in its entirety, leaving alive a motion by the plaintiffs, a group of anti-abortion protesters, to seek nominal damages from the city for the period of time in which they weren’t allowed to demonstrate near the clinic on Congress Street.

City officials and Planned Parenthood representatives said the buffer zone protected the civil rights of patients to access health care services, and they accused the anti-abortion demonstrators of being intimidating and belligerent to individuals approaching the facility.

The protesters argued the buffer zone infringed upon their constitutionally protected right to free speech. The demonstrators said allegations of aggressive behavior were overblown, as evidenced by the fact that police never issued them any summonses for impeding public ways or disorderly conduct.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read how public schools across America muzzle pro-life students and ban pro-life student clubs.

Office Depot Refuses Christian Customer: Illinois

When Maria Goldstein took her print order to the Office Depot in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, she was turned away because the office supply store was “restricted by corporate policy” from reproducing a “religious flyer” with pro-life propaganda that criticizes Planned Parenthood.  Attorneys representing Goldstein have informed the big box retailer that their policy is a violation of “the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance, which forbids public businesses from discriminating based on religion.”

For background, read America Protests Planned Parenthood, Media Ignore

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

9th Circuit Court Forces Christians into Abortion Business

Harassment of Pro-lifers Costs Illinois City $$

Ohio College Pays $9,000 for Censoring Christian Speech

Christian Refused at Pro-gay-only Lunch Counter

Lesbian Government Official Nixes Christian Business at Denver Airport

Kansas Governor Protects Religious Liberty, Homosexualists Attack

Public Schools Ban Pro-life Student Clubs Across America

Persecuted Christians Testify at Iowa Rally for Religious Liberty



-- From "Office Depot in Schaumburg Accused of Religious Discrimination" posted at WMAQ-TV5 NBC Chicago 9/10/15

The demand letter [from Goldstein's attorneys] says Office Depot must “cease its unlawful refusal to service Ms. Goldstein’s copying order.” [Special counsel Thomas] Olp said if the company refuses, he will bring the issue before the Cook County Human Rights Commission or the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

Office Depot did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment but a spokeswoman for the company told the Chicago Tribune the company policy prohibits “the copying of any type of material that advocates any form of racial or religious discrimination or the persecution of certain groups of people.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Office Depot accused of religious discrimination" by Manya Brachear Pashman, Reporter, Chicago Tribune 9/10/15

Last month, Maria Goldstein, 42, ordered 500 copies of "A Prayer for the Conversion of Planned Parenthood" at an Office Depot in Schaumburg to distribute at her [Catholic] parish the following Sunday. The handout also included statistics about abortion in the U.S. and at Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization that provides women's and reproductive health services.

The prayer, composed by the Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, an anti-abortion group, calls on God to "Bring an end to the killing of children in the womb, and bring an end to the sale of their body parts. Bring conversion to all who do this, and enlightenment to all who advocate it."

The prayer also decries "the evil that has been exposed in Planned Parenthood and in the entire abortion industry."

Thomas Olp, a lawyer for the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, a public interest law group that represents Goldstein, said the situation fits into the public accommodation laws that date back to when businesses refused to serve African-Americans and Jews.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Schaumburg store accused of refusing to copy anti-Planned Parenthood flier" by Eric Peterson, Daily Herald (suburban Chicago) 9/10/15

The Thomas More Society describes itself as a not-for-profit law firm that provides pro bono services aimed at restoring respect in law for life, family and religious liberty.

Goldstein said she already knew of the Thomas More Society and thought of them immediately when she felt she was facing religious discrimination.

"I know that they're strong defenders of religious freedom," she said.

Olp said that because Goldstein's flier has already been printed, Office Depot could make amends stating that such discrimination will never happen again. If such a statement is not made within five working days, Olp said he plans to file a complaint with the Cook County Human Rights Commission.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Office Depot Refuses To Print Anti-Planned Parenthood Flyers" by Casey Harper, Daily Caller 9/10/15

Office Depot may face a lawsuit after refusing to print flyers that criticize Planned Parenthood, saying the flyers “persecute” people who believe in abortion rights.

“When I tell people they’re shocked because this is America,” Goldstein told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Office Depot is trying to silence my freedom of speech and my freedom of religion.”

“This seems crazy,” Olp told TheDCNF. “To say that a prayer that calls for conversion and understanding and enlightenment is persecution, to call that persecution to me is the height of intolerance.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Charge: Office Depot refused Christian print job" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/10/15

“We suggest that you consider what your position would be if our client were black and your employees refused service because of her race,” said a letter to Office Depot Chairman Roland C. Smith from Thomas Olp of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the woman.

“In that case it would not be hard to see how unreasonable that refusal of service would be. The public accommodation laws do not give any greater leeway for refusal of service when a customer’s religious expression motivates the refusal. … Our laws welcome religion and religious expression, treat it fairly and equally, and do not permit its marginalization or silencing.”

[Olp] said if there is an employee with some sort of religious objection to the Christian statements, the company should accommodate that employee and find someone else to do the print job.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 9/12/15: From "Office Depot Retreats from Refusal to Print Pro-Life Prayer it Said Was ‘Hate Material’" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com

The company explained its decision in a letter its assistant general counsel, Robert A. Amicone, sent Olp on Sept. 11.

“You also say that [the flyer] is ‘religious throughout in tone and content’ and ‘contains a prayer’ seeking an end to abortion,” said the Office Depot attorney in this letter. “You do not mention, however, certain language within the prayer that discusses ‘the killing of children in the womb’ and ‘the grisly trade in baby body parts.’

“Nor do you address the strong language presumably condemning those who perform and obtain abortions,” said the Office Depot letter. “Indeed, the prayer characterizes those individuals as ‘evil,’ and it advocates for the closure of the ‘death camps in our midst.’ It is this type of language that led to the decision to refuse you client’s copying request.”

“There are two provisions [of the company’s policy] applicable to this dispute,” explained the lawyer. “The first prohibits the copying of ‘graphic material,’ which can include descriptions of dead or dismembered bodies. The second provision prohibits the copying of ‘hate material’ that advocates for the persecution of groups of people, regardless of the reason.”

Goldstein’s flyer did not contain any illustrations—and called for the “conversion,” not persecution, of those who advocate aborting unborn children.

“To be clear,” said Office Depot’s lawyer, “Office Depot’s position is that the above-quoted language falls within the definition of ‘graphic material’ and/or ‘hate material,’ making the refusal to print the flyer appropriate.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 9/11/15: From "Office Depot apologizes over refusal to copy anti-abortion prayer" by Manya Brachear Pashman, Chicago Tribune

"We sincerely apologize to Ms. (Maria) Goldstein for her experience and our initial reaction was not at all related to her religious beliefs," Roland Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Office Depot, said in a statement. "We invite her to return to Office Depot if she still wishes to print the flier."

[Spokeswoman for Office Depot, Karen] Denning said a more detailed review of the flier determined that it was not a clear violation of the company's policy, which prohibits "the copying of any type of material that advocates any form of racial or religious discrimination or the persecution of certain groups of people."

Denning said the policy won't change but added that customers can use the self-service copy machines inside stores without being subject to the policy.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read ACLU Forces Catholic Hospital To Sterilize Woman

And read Gay American Courts Persecute Christian: Kim Davis

The flyer that Office Depot refused to print:

PC Las Vegas School Denies Pro-life Student Club

Lawyers representing Angelique Clark, a sophomore at West Career and Technical Academy, are demanding that the Clark County (Nevada) School District approve her request to form a local chapter of Students For Life America.  School Vice Principal Allan Yee said the club would reflect poorly on the school in local media and that students are unqualified to speak on abortion issues.

UPDATE 10/17/15: Kentucky School Censors Pro-life Students, Lawsuit Claims

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

North Dakota Schools Backtrack on Pro-life Club Bans

Iowa School Censors Pro-life Girl's Rights, Lawyer Says

Connecticut School Censors 'Controversial' Pro-life Kids

Virginia School Slow-walks Pro-life Club Approval

New Jersey School Censors Student Expressing Pro-life View

Washington School OKs Gay Message, but Censors Pro-life Students

Also read North Las Vegas Teacher Bans Student's Christianity

-- From "Sophomore Says High School Denied her Anti-abortion Club" by Kimberly Pierceall, Associated Press 5/22/15

The nonprofit Thomas More Society legal group said in a letter . . . [that] Clark applied to start a Students for Life club on campus but was told by the vice principal that the topic was controversial, would attract negative media attention and the club's intent wasn't inclusive enough.

The Thomas More Society said in its letter that the school has a Bible club and gay-straight alliance club on campus.

The Clark County School District said in a statement it's reviewing the facts and hadn't made a final decision.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Law firm claims West Tech sophomore denied right to start pro-life club" by Ricardo Torres, Las Vegas Review-Journal 5/22/15

Clark said in a news release she didn’t hear back from school officials until two months later when a vice principal said her application had been denied.

Vice Principal Allan Yee told her the topic was “controversial,” pro-choice supporters would feel left out and “there were others ‘more qualified’ to speak on the issue than a high school sophomore.”

The demand letter was addressed to high school Principal Amy Dockter-Rozar and Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky. It alleges Clark’s First Amendment rights and the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, which affects extracurricular clubs, were violated.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "CCSD, group differ about whether student had support of adviser for anti-abortion club" by Ian Whitaker, Las Vegas Sun 5/22/15

After lawyers demanded Thursday that West Career and Technical Academy reverse its decision to prevent sophomore Angelique Clark from starting an anti-abortion student club, district officials released a statement saying the club did not have a faculty adviser willing to sponsor the club. In CCSD schools, student clubs need a teacher to serve as an adviser before they are allowed to operate.

A document released by Students for Life of America, the national group that has taken up Clark's cause, appears to show Angelique had a teacher on board. Signatures on her application form dated Dec. 17, 2014, show that science teacher Sandy Roden had volunteered to be the adviser.

The letter written by lawyers from the nonprofit Thomas More Society gave the district until June 1 to respond. The lawyers haven't said whether they will pursue legal action if the district does not reverse the school's decision.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Abortion Backtrack by N. Dakota Schools: Lawyer

For months, the Fargo (North Dakota) School District No. 1 had denied allowing pro-life students Brigid O’Keefe and Katie McPherson to form local clubs associated with Students for Life of America, but after the Thomas More Society informed school administrators of their unconstitutional denials, they quietly, and without comment, approved the new clubs at Fargo North and Davies High Schools.

“High-schoolers do not lose their right to form clubs and speak their message just because they are pro-life.”
-- Jocelyn Floyd, Thomas More Society Associate Counsel

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Iowa School Censors Pro-life Girl's Rights, Lawyer Says

Connecticut School Censors 'Controversial' Pro-life Kids

Virginia School Slow-walks Pro-life Club Approval

New Jersey School Censors Student Expressing Pro-life View

Washington School OKs Gay Message, but Censors Pro-life Students





-- From "Fargo school district allows anti-abortion clubs to meet" by The Associated Press 5/13/15

[The Chicago-based Thomas More Society] sent a letter to the district in early April arguing that the refusal of school officials to recognize the groups was a violation of the students' First Amendment rights.

The school district has confirmed to KFGO-AM that it is letting the clubs gather but would not comment further.

The club at Davies High school already hosted its first meeting.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Pro-Life clubs officially recognized at two Fargo high schools" posted at Valley News KVLY-TV11 & KXJB (Fargo, ND) 5/13/15

A spokesperson for the Fargo Public School district told Valley News Live they had nothing to say to the public about the decision.

At Fargo North, sophomore Brigid O’Keefe had submitted her application to start a Students for Life in February 2015. School administrators put Brigid and other prospective club members through extensive questioning, including questions about their religious affiliations, before denying the club.

At Davies High School, sophomore Katie McPherson had been trying to start a Students for Life club since September 2014. For months, the school administration would not even let her apply for her club to receive official status or assign a promised room for “unofficial” club meetings.

Both schools have now approved the pro-life clubs. Davies Teens for Life members already held their first meeting, and Brigid is planning the first Spartans for Life meeting for next week.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Students for Life America responds to school district over pro-life clubs" posted at Valley News KVLY-TV11 & KXJB (Fargo, ND) 4/17/15

On Thursday Fargo Public schools issued a statement to the original demand letter claiming the students never filed the appropriate paperwork, at least at Davies High, but indicated the district would consider the application if one was handed in. However in emails obtained by Valley News Live, Assistant Principal Lenny Ohlhauser never mentions an application process while writing to other district officials and instead indicates that approval might not be possible because of ties to a church. From the email "Do either of you have students involved with pro-life. I have some students asking about being able to provide a space for meeting. I told them club status will not probably be an option due to the ties of a church, but giving a space to meet is an option."

[Statement from] Kristan Hawkins, president, Students for Life of America

"The school district’s response is amateurish and inaccurate. They are purposely trying to make two high school sophomores look inept when in reality, it is the school district that is fumbling around for any excuse to continue to delay or outright deny the Students for Life clubs that Brigid O’Keefe and Katie McPherson have been trying to start, in one case for eight months now. In all the administration's emails that a Fargo news station released, as well as the verbal communications from the schools to the students, there is no mention of a lack of paperwork as the reason that the Students for Life clubs were being denied. As we approach the end of the school year, we suspect the school district is trying to push this 'issue' under the rug for a few more months in the hopes that Brigid and Katie will forget about wanting to educate their peers and serve women in need. Asking Brigid and Katie to start the entire process over again is a ridiculous response, especially when the clubs should have been approved immediately."

[Statement from] Jocelyn Floyd, Associate Counsel, Thomas More Society

"We're encouraged by the District's acknowledgment that it will abide by the requirements of the law going forward, but we're greatly disappointed by the way it's now chosen to misrepresent the history here in order to place the blame on the students. Never were they denied for paperwork reasons. Throughout the process, the schools and the district had consistently made their position clear—one of illegal censorship based on the message of the club."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Buffalo NY Univ. Prof. Arrested for Bullying Pro-life Students

Iowa School Censors Pro-life Girl's Rights: Lawyer

When Hampton-Dumont High School senior Isabell Akers wanted to start a Students for Life (SLA) club, administrators objected because it would be too controversial.  That was before Akers enlisted the assistance of the Thomas More Society, which promptly accused the school of violating the Equal Access Act regarding school clubs as well as Akers' First Amendment rights.

"I wanted to spend my high school career educating my fellow students on the beauty of human life and providing resources to girls at my school, but instead I have been fighting for my First Amendment rights."
-- Isabell Akers

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Connecticut School Censors 'Controversial' Pro-life Kids

Virginia School Slow-walks Pro-life Club Approval

Protecting Kids from Pro-lifers: California Law

Buffalo NY Univ. Prof. Arrested for Bullying Pro-life Students

New Jersey School Censors Student Expressing Pro-life View

Washington School OKs Gay Message, but Censors Pro-life Students



-- From "Iowa High School Accused Of Suppressing Pro-Life Group" by Blake Neff, Contributor, Daily Caller 4/17/15

In February 2013, the [recent Thomas More Society] letter says, Akers’ attempt to form a club was rebuffed on the grounds it would be too “controversial.” The following August, Akers tried again, and after sending a follow-up inquiry every two weeks for several months she was finally allowed to create a “community club,” which was allowed to use a school meeting space but wasn’t allowed to advertise or host events like an ordinary student club.

In 2015, the letter says, Akers made another push to be recognized, arguing that a Students for Life group was legally entitled to be treated as a student club just like any other.

The letter also says that school officials tried to claim the Students for Life group would be the first non-curricular club at the school, but SLA counters that this claim doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

The new letter comes just one week after SLA lodged against the public school system in Fargo, N.D. There, two high schools were accused of blocking the formation of anti-abortion clubs. Fargo Public Schools has claimed the clubs were actually stalled due to a lack of proper paperwork, although they had never cited such an alleged lack of paperwork before.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Anti-abortion student group accuses school of discrimination" by Mackenzie Ryan, Des Moines Register 4/16/15

The Students for Life of America's law firm sent a letter Thursday to the school, about 100 miles north of Des Moines, on behalf of high school senior Isabell Akers and the nation's largest youth anti-abortion group.

[the letter] cites the First Amendment and the Federal Equal Access Act, which says schools that allow one noncurricular group cannot deny comparable groups because of "religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at (the group's) meetings."

Hampton-Dumont Superintendent Todd Lettow said the district has sought legal counsel, and takes matters like this "very seriously."

In February of 2014, posters that the group created were confiscated because, they were told, only official clubs were permitted to advertise in the hallways. The club also was not included in the yearbook.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Hampton-Dumont may face discrimination lawsuit" by Ashley Miller, Mason City Globe Gazette 4/20/15

“The school may not pick and choose among clubs based on its particular preferences for what the overall content of the group’s proposed speech should be,” [Thomas More Society associate counsel Jocelyn] Floyd wrote in the demand letter. “Your denial of Isabell’s request to form and operate a pro-life group on equal footing with these other non-curricular clubs constitutes a clear violation of the EAA (Equal Access Act).”

Letters from the law firm are typically successful in settling issues [such as this with other schools] outside a court setting, Floyd said. A response from Hampton-Dumont is due April 30.

Akers said she wants the club to be officially recognized so it can better spread the word about the effects of abortion and empower women in her high school and community. She'd also like to see it continue after she graduates.

Members of [SLA], which has no religious ties, include high school, college, medical and law students.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "School clubs OK unless they're pro-life" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 4/16/15

“The pro-life students are simply asking for equal treatment,” said Jocelyn Floyd, associate counsel of Thomas More Society. “Here the school is trying to claim that its lesser treatment is justified because Isabell’s club doesn’t tie in with the school’s curriculum – but neither do most of the school’s other clubs, such as the book club, mock trial or SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving).”

“The classification of Isabell’s club as a ‘community club’ or the school’s only ‘non-curricular’ club, and the associated limitations on her group’s right to participate in the life of the school as an official student group constitutes a violation of her rights under both the Federal Equal Access Act … and the First Amendment,” the [Thomas More Society] letter said.

“Simply put, once the limited open forum is open to one non-curricular club, then all non-curricular clubs must be treated equally, even if the clubs [students] wish to form are religious or political. A student group is considered curricular only if it directly relates to the curriculum of the school.”

The letter said that while Key Club “presents an admirable message of the value of community service, Mock Trial gives exposure and instruction on the American trial system, and SADD works to spread the message of the harms of drinking and driving, they are all nonetheless non-curricular clubs.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Virginia School Slow-walks Pro-life Club Approval

Lawyers have informed Principal Larry Marks of Courtland High School in Spotsylvania County that the inordinate delay in approval of senior student Madison Sutherland's “Students for Life” club would result in legal action against the school.

“By denying Maddie’s pro-life group on the grounds that it is not tied to the school’s curriculum, while allowing other non-curricular groups such as an equestrian club and lacrosse club, Courtland High School is violating their students’ First Amendment rights.”
-- Jocelyn Floyd, Associate Counsel, Thomas More Society

UPDATE 4/26/15: Iowa School Censors Pro-life Students' Rights, Lawyer Says

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Connecticut School Censors 'Controversial' Pro-life Club

California School Loses Lawsuit Against Pro-life Student

Washington School Says Gay is OK, but Pro-life is Offensive

Christian, Pro-life Free Speech Censored at Ohio College

Buffalo, New York University Charges Pro-life Club Extra $

University of Chicago Teaches Students How to Get Abortion

Also read California Feminist Sex/Porn Professor Attacks Pro-lifers



-- From "Va. High School Denies Creation Of Right-To-Life Club" by Ben Smith, Daily Caller 11/12/14

Fed up with the stalling and the “fixes” that Sutherland has been waiting to receive, the Thomas More Society sent a letter to Marks demanding that he respond to the complaint by a Nov. 21 deadline or they will be taken to court.

Kristen Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America expressed concern over what she sees as a deliberate attack on the pro-life movement. “It is unfortunate that many pro-life high school students have faced resistance from hostile school administrators,” Hawkins said.

As for Sutherland, she will continue pushing her campus group to be recognized. “Abortion is the greatest violation of human rights in our time and I believe the pro-life message deserves a voice at my school,” she declared.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Did principal deny student’s constitutional rights with anti-abortion group decision?" by Jeff Branscome, The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA) 11/11/14

The anti-abortion club application “is in the review process” and “will be considered in the same manner as other applications for student organizations,” the [school official's] statement said.

Marks turned down an initial application for the club in a letter Oct. 6, writing that the group did not appear to “bear a clear relationship to the regular school curriculum” as required by the division’s policies. The principal also noted that the student had not provided all of the required information in the application, namely the group’s bylaws and a description of its relationship to the curriculum.

Sutherland resubmitted the application Oct. 24 but has not received a formal response, according to a press release from the anti-abortion organization Students for Life of America. . . .

George Mason University law professor Joyce Malcolm said the principal has “no business” denying an anti-abortion club while recognizing other issue groups such as an environmental club. “I think it’s unfortunate that our schools have become … single-minded,” she said. “Certain views are OK, and other views we don’t even want to hear.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Planned Parenthood 'Special Forces' Raid Schoolyards

And read Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of Their School