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OTTAWA, Ontario, December 8, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Carleton University has made yet another attempt to quash a lawsuit against the university by Carleton Lifeline, the university’s pro-life club.

“Carleton University brought a motion to strike our Statement of Claim. If they are successful, our lawsuit will end,” said Ruth (Lobo) Shaw, former President of Carleton Lifeline and a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

“Are members of Carleton University’s administration concerned that an impartial judge would rule that the university violated the rights of their students?” she asked.

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Ruth Lobo and Nicholas McLeod, members of Carleton Lifeline, launched the lawsuit against the University after the school had them arrested along with two other students in October 2010 for attempting a campus exhibit of a pro-life display comparing abortion to past atrocities through graphic imagery.

The university deemed the pro-life display “offensive” and asked the students to disband. The students refused and stood their ground. They were handcuffed by campus security officials and subsequently charged by Ottawa police with trespassing, failure to leave property when asked, and attempting to proceed with a prohibited event.

Lobo and McLeod believe that the University’s actions violated their rights to freedom of expression, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of security. They filed a “wrongful arrest” lawsuit against the University.

In November, the Crown threw out the university’s trespassing charge against the students, leaving the students to concentrate on their own suit against the university.

Last April, the university attempted to quash the students’ suit on the grounds that it disclosed no reasonable cause of action, was scandalous, frivolous, vexatious, and an abuse of the court process. Nevertheless, Justice Roccamo allowed the suit to continue.

Carleton Lifeline said in a press release today that the University is now attempting to strike the pro-life group’s suit by claiming that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not apply to the university and its actions as a private entity.

“We are dismayed that the University is continuing with this aggressive approach,” said John Nicholas McLeod, current president of Carleton Lifeline and a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

“We had our rights violated and our voices censored. We decided to fight for our rights and Carleton University has employed tactics which are delaying a trial and increasing legal costs.”

Learn how to support Carleton Lifeline’s Defense Fund here.