Scottish Catholic Observer

A FRESNO school district agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the mother of 16-year-old student Tiffany Amador after she was she was told to take off her T-shirt due to its ‘anti-abortion’ message, back in 2008.

The offending T-shirt showed pictures of an apparent unborn child in the womb followed by a blank picture indicating an empty womb with the words ‘Abortion: growing… growing… gone.’ But the T-shirt was considered ‘disruptive’ by authorities of the McSwain Union Elementary School in Merced who declared it displayed ‘inappropriate subject matter’ and she was ordered to remove it. The district agreed to settle the Amador’s lawsuit last Friday but the school district did not admit any wrongdoing.

From a pro-life point of view this whole situation raises interesting questions, not least that Amador’s attorney described the settlement as ‘a victory for free speech in schools.’

The case is reminiscent of one that took place in Scotland a few years back when Sarah Scott, then aged 16, was threatened with expulsion from Banff Academy for sporting a similar style of T-shirt. A teen mum with a four-month old baby at the time, Sarah was told the slogan on her T-shirt, ‘Abortion is Murder,’ was offensive and once again the accusation of preventing free speech was levelled against the school in question. Interestingly she pointed out at the time that T-shirts displaying Playboy logos were not given the same treatment. But let’s look at the freedom of speech argument.

Were the schools correct or were these youngsters being ‘gagged’ for holding pro-life views?

It’s easy, as pro-life supporters, to instantly accuse the schools of wrongdoing. We can do so by suggesting the term ‘offensive’ can be interpreted as a politically correct way of saying ‘we don’t agree with you’ but can we do so on the basis of the issue of free speech? Probably not. But is it the same for schools? What if pupils turned up to school with swastikas emblazoned on their T-shirts, we would expect the school to label them offensive and order them to be removed in that instance. Not that a pro-life message is in any way comparable with a Nazi one but it does bring us to another issue raised by the T-shirt cases, and that is why pro-life messages should arouse the same kind of passionate response as an issue like anti-Semitism. The reality is expressing any kind of pro-life sentiment in public in our society seems always to be considered controversial; abortion is an emotive issue and pro-life views considered fanatical and extreme.

Pro-lifers are labelled ‘judgemental’ and are often accused of ‘caring only about the baby and not about the mum,’ a stereotype that serves to reinforce the fringe position of pro-lifers today. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth as the vast majority of pro-lifers know only too well the reality of crisis pregnancies, and in some cases the trauma of abortion and life afterwards. It is pro-lifers who are out there offering help, doing proper research, operating crisis pregnancy centres, providing counselling to the post-abortive and all in a compassionate and living way. They are thinking of the two lives involved and affected, not just one.

At SPUC Scotland, thanks to the work of our sister organisation Abortion Recovery and Care and Helpline, we are always considerate of the damage that abortion has caused to people and our messages and slogans are tempered as a result. This does not mean we should discourage brave young pro-lifers, so fervent about the issue that they have the courage to display their views to their peers and schoolmates, from expressing themselves. We encourage all young pro-lifers to have the strength of their convictions and wear their pro-life T-shirts and other items proudly but with sensitivity to those affected by abortion and to inform, not shock, onlookers. That is why we started a youth programme three years ago and why we got young pro-lifers to design pro-life T-shirts and merchandise that is in keeping with a youthful outlook on the issue.

As it goes from strength to strength we hope youngsters in pro-life T-shirts will become a common sight and not headline news. From pro-life T-shirts to pro-life umbrellas, don’t forget the SPUC Scotland Yella’ Umbrella Sponsored Walk for Life on September 11. It is just a few hours and includes fun activities as well as the walk around Strathclyde Park loch, and is a chance to raise much-needed funds for the work of the organisation. The event is open to all the family and you will get a free pro-life umbrella when you register, with small umbrellas for the children.