DES MOINES, May 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The April 26th third annual “National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day” in the United States resulted in two students in an Iowa school being asked to remove or cover themselves because their shirts were considered “inappropriate” thus raising complaints that students’ freedom of speech rights were being restricted.
Two Des Moines Roosevelt High School students, Brittany (18) and Tamera (15) Chandler say their right to free expression was violated when they were directed to change their anti-abortion T-shirts that administrators said might have disrupted school. The T-Shirts in question were maroon and carried a picture of a fetus with the words “Abortion Kills Kids” emblazoned below.
The school’s principal, Anita Micich, denied allegations that the sisters were threatened with suspension saying that she acted after a teacher expressed concern about the possible reaction of other students. “I was worried that students who were expressing themselves might become targets, or that it might become so disruptive we couldn’t conduct classes,” Micich said. “It was headed down that path.”
Tamera Chandler agreed to cover the T-shirt saying “I was upset because they violated my rights, but I didn’t want any trouble because graduation’s right around the corner.” Her sister Brittany however became argumentative when told to change or cover up. Both she and her father, Tim Chandler, said they were both told by school officials that if Brittany didn’t change, Tamera could be suspended, which would affect her graduation status.
The “National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day” is organized by the American Life Alliance. The Chandler sisters, who are youth group members at Kingsway/Eagle Vision Church in Des Moines, bought the shirts along with fellow group member Marisela Sandoval. The latter said she wore the same shirt Tuesday to Hoover High School. “I just wore it like any other shirt, and no one said anything bad.”
Erik Whittington, youth outreach coordinator for the American Life Alliance, indicated that nationally some of the approximately 15,000 others, mostly students, who participated in National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day were told to cover or change their shirts, which organized the day. He said that prohibiting the wearing of t-shirts violated the First Amendment and that those who react in a disruptive way to the T-shirts – not the wearers – should be punished.
“A shirt doesn’t yell or punch anyone in the face, so who and what is disruptive here?” A 1969 U.S. Supreme Court case involving Tinker vs. Des Moines ruled that students do not “shed their constitutional rights . . . at the schoolhouse gate.” That case included students of Roosevelt who wore black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. A report in the May 2nd edition of GazetteOnline.com indicated that the issue had been resolved, at least in the Chandlers case, with the Principal saying that the girls can wear anti-abortion t-shirts any time they want.