Taking A Stand for Life
— Posted by John (April 28, 2008 at 10:22 am)
Some students at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, OH have made a bold move in standing up for their pro-life beliefs. A local news station reports:
They wanted to send a strong message about the sanctity of life, but some local high school students say they were punished for their beliefs….
The T-shirts read, “Abortion is homicide.” The students wore the shirts on April 21…
“We were told we could take the shirts off, turn them inside out or face a two-day suspension,” says senior Kristen Norman. The students say they felt so strongly, they were willing to face the consequences until the school district began adding on more punishments…
The Anthony Wayne school district tells News 11 they have no comment on the incident…
“If they do not do anything else to change their decision… it could lead to legal actions,” says senior Jamie Pellek.
The station is currently running a poll, asking if the school made the right decision by making the students hide the pro-life message on their shirts. So far, 82% of people say no! (You can vote here, at the top of the article.)
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day is tomorrow, and surely pro-life students in some schools will face similar trouble for exercising their right to free speech.
If you’re in a public school and wear a pro-life T-shirt tomorrow — or any other day, for that matter — and encounter any sort of harassment, see these tips for how to deal with the situation.
[HT: Rock for Life via Jill Stanek]
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Claire Wilcher says:
This is utterly rediculous! I cannot believe a school could be so cruel by undermining students opinions. This is an ongoing issue that citizens will never agree on. So, people should be able to express their opinions without being punished. Furthermore, abortion is killing an unborn child. The truth is, these students were only stating the obvious. Our forefathers instilled a constitution which stated that all men have the right to free speech. These students were only expressing their feelings through the t-shirts. They were robbed of their rights as American citizens.
Comment posted April 30th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Marie says:
Actually, I think what the school did was perfectly reasonable. I’m not against free speech, but schools do have dress codes, and “Abortion is homicide” printed on huge letters on a t-shirt seems a little threatening, accusing and insulting, don’t you think? Having “pro-life” or “I am pro-life” written on a t-shirt is fine (and I would deem it wrong if the school refused to let teens wear shirts that said that) because it’s simply stating an opinion and is not as much a personal attack as “Abortion is homicide”.
Besides, in most schools the dress code demands that students where nothing that would distract their fellow classmates from learning, and a shirt that says “Abortion is homicide” would be rather distracting, in my opinion.
Comment posted April 30th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Paula Reichert-McKiban says:
Forgive a mother for blogging- I know this is not a forum for a 50 yr.old. This just touched me, incredibly. These young adults should be commended for their committment to LIFE. I have 2 adult sons, and had they done this, I would have taken them out to celebrate,after speaking with 1 of the many pro-life lawyers that we have here in Ohio. I did not know that this happened in our state-thank you for making it public. I just bet ,that had they been wearing Obama or Clinton (pro-choice candidates) shirts, nothing would have been said. And let’s not forget that the 1st Amendment applies also to these young adults- the freedom of speech does not begin at 18 or after high-school .
Footnote: What we wear is a powerful witness, that sometimes we are not aware of. I wear a lot of pro-life T-shirts during activites such as shopping. As I was checking out of a grocery not long ago, the cashier saw my T-shirt and had tears in her eyes. We went to the side, and spoke, and she told me how she was pro-life ,but had been remiss in doing anything about it. I supplied her with a list of organizations and activities that she might find useful. Her heart was touched, not by me, but by a simple T-shirt with a powerful message. I see her now, and get a happy smile and a thumbs-up.
Bless our young pro-lifers who are strong in their Belief and Faith. You are our Hope . Thank You for allowing an old Mom to express her opinion. Kudos to the students at Anthony Wayne H.S!
Comment posted May 1st, 2008 at 7:05 am
Paula Reichert-McKiban says:
….Back again. Just a comment to Marie- yes, “pro-life” on a T-shirt is a very gentle message. But abortion is not a gentle act. It IS homicide. I don’t see the shirts as being threatening,accusing ,or insulting. Who are they threatening? Just curious.
If they were wearing “Drinking and driving is Homicide”, they would not have been in trouble. This is a truth that is politically accepted. They would probably have been used as “good examples” for the school. Just my humble opinion.
FYI…Today is World Prayer Day. I’m going to include these defenders of LIFE in my prayers, for sure.
Comment posted May 1st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Marie says:
Well… maybe. I just think there are way more gentle ways to reach out with the pro-life message.
Comment posted May 1st, 2008 at 9:23 am
Stephanie says:
It’s such a breath of fresh air, to see young people taking a stand for life. Maybe if the two previous generations had taken a bold stand against the murder of little boys and girls, these t-shirts wouldn’t be an issue?
Comment posted May 7th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Jamie Pellek says:
Hello, I am Jamie Pellek of Anthony Wayne High School. I had just googled my name our ot curiosity to see how many sites had helped us raise awareness, and have taken the time to be sure I thank every single person who has given us re-assurance, compliments, and words of hope. I believe even though we were not permitted to wear our shirts in school, and I decided to agree to dis-agree with my administrators– I still believe we made our stance clear and strong. I only hope in the near future that abortions will be illegal, as the value of life is far beyond grasp of our realities. I thank this website, along with our supporters, as we were constantly ridiculed and jabbed at with ignorant remarks. I thank the Christian environment, our supporters, and of course The Rock for Life, Thomas More Law Center, and my school (as ridiculous as this sounds). I stand by my actions, and next year in college I will hopefully be getting involved in an organization where I may start setting precedents for younger generations throughout the United States. Thanks again! Sincerely, Jamie Michael Pellek.
Comment posted May 31st, 2008 at 9:44 am
Jamie Pellek says:
If anyone would like to send similar circumstance stories, words of encouragement, or even would just like to talk and get all of those juicy details, I would love to receive your emails. JMPellek08@hotmail.com
I am proud that we will be graduating in 3 days, our graduation is on June 7th, 2008 at the Stranahan. If you are interested in anything, I again, encourage you to feel free to email me. Thanks again everyone!
Comment posted May 31st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Generations for Life » Blog Archive » An Update on the Pro-Life Students at Anthony Wayne High School says:
[…] little over a month ago, I wrote about a group of pro-life students at Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, OH who got into a […]
Comment posted June 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am