UPDATE 3/21 4:35p: The school has backed down.

2014-03-11_0801

3/11 9:32a: Another week, another case of censorship of student pro-lifers.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, from the long view. Battles like this get the abortion issue much more attention than were they never waged. And they give students real life lessons in the First Amendment right of free speech, which isn’t needed for pleasant topics we all agree on.

But I know it’s hard on the personal level, and I give pro-life students all the kudos in the world for sticking to their guns in the face of adversity on behalf of the babies.

So this time the censor is the administration of Branford High School in Branford, Connecticut, the mission of which is ironically, “to prepare students to be independent and collaborative learners who are responsible, informed, and contributing members of society.”

BranfordTable-250x250The backstory, according to Students for Life of America:

Since February of last year, the Branford High School administration has attempted to censor and limit the effectiveness of the Students for Life club at their public school, telling them they could not have life-like fetal models on their education table and making it difficult for them to form and sustain the club.

This February, the administration denied the pro-life club the ability to invite others to join the group in the form of clip boarding and handing out literature to students during lunch. The school has also told the Branford High School Students for Life club that they can only host events after school, a restriction not imposed on other student groups.

Last week, Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to Branford High School and Branford Public Schools on behalf of Branford High School Students for Life requesting that they end their discriminatory behavior against the group. The letter asked for written confirmation by March 12th notifying Sam that her club’s rights will be respected.

2014-03-11_0821“Sam” would be Sam Bailey-Loomis, the pro-life group’s president, and coincidentally the editor of the school newspaper this year. Sam displayed her journalist prowess by giving a sterling interview to NBC News yesterday.

Students for Life has action items for us:

Students for Life of America is asking all pro-life activists to contact the Superintendent of Branford Public Schools, Mr. Hamlet Hernandez by email at hhernandez@branfordschools.org, or phone at (203) 488-7276, to express their support for Branford High School Students for Life and ask that Branford Public Schools resolve this situation immediately by assuring Sam and Branford High School Students for Life that their constitutional rights will be respected.

Other recent issues of school censorship that were quickly resolved in our favor once the public was alerted include Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington, and the University of Alabama.

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