I blogged a few weeks ago about the school’s forbidding the shirt; I’m glad that the school has changed its views:
A Denbigh High School student prevented from wearing an anti-abortion sweatshirt in school last month by a school administrator now can wear it after a Michigan law center raised the possibility of a lawsuit.
An assistant principal told Daniel Goergen on Feb. 18 to remove the sweatshirt or turn it inside-out. Printed in white letters on the front of the black, hooded sweatshirt are the words “Abortion is homicide.” The back reads “You will not silence my message / You will not mock my God / You will stop killing my generation.” . . .
“The fundamental question is whether or not wearing some garment with a message on it is going to create a disturbance, an immediate disturbance,” [Chief Deputy City Attorney Leonard Wallin] said. “If there isn’t a reasonable belief that it’s going to create a disturbance (school officials) can’t ban the message even if they turn out to be wrong after the fact.” . . .
When he went to Denbigh High on Feb. 26 to ask why his son could not wear the sweatshirt, Martin Goergen said he was shown the derogatory written materials section of the student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.
It says that any written material or pictures “that convey an offensive, racial, obscene, or sexually suggestive message” is prevented. . . .
The law center has an arrangement with Rock For Life – a pro-life youth organization that sells the black sweatshirt and other anti-abortion merchandise – to represent students and others free of charge who are challenged or harassed while wearing similar items. The law center is a non-profit organization.
“Whenever a student buys their merchandise, they get a letter from us defining their constitutional right to wear the (item) and to call us if they run into problems,” he said. . . .
I like it — clothes that come with a law firm attached. Thanks to Becky Dale for the pointer.
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