
Nevada Teen Fights for Pro-Life Club
Too controversial
Too exclusive
It would leave pro-choice people out
These are the reasons West Career and Technical Academy gave Angelique Clark when she broached the subject of starting a pro-life club at her high school. Telling Clark that there were others “more qualified” to talk about abortion, the school and the Clark County school district put the kibosh on Clark’s pro-life club. Now the Nevada sophomore is fighting back, filing suit against the school and the district in an attempt to stand up for her freedoms.
“When I first applied to form a pro-life club, I never imagined I would have to sue my school to be able to exercise my free speech rights,” Clark said in a statement. “My fellow pro-life students and I simply want to make our voices heard and to educate other students on a topic that’s important to us – choosing life. We hope for a quick resolution that allows us to get the West Career and Technical Academy Pro-Life Club up and running as soon as possible.”
Clark is represented by the Thomas More Society, a religious legal group committed to taking up causes where the government infringes on the First Amendment. Notice, by the way, that the ACLU has nothing to say about this case. This country’s so-called defenders of freedom apparently had something more important to take care of. Prosecuting another Christian bakery, perhaps.
“We are proud of Angelique for not allowing her school administrators to trample her free speech rights,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America.
The school district is playing games in the media, claiming that Clark was denied not because of the nature of the club but because her application was missing certain procedural necessities. Clark, though, has promptly answered the district’s contentions, proving in each instance that her application met all listed requirements. Now it will be up to a court of law to determine the truth.
“They cannot treat any club differently because of the content of the speech. If you deny a club because the topic is controversial, that’s the content of the speech,” said an attorney with the Thomas More Society.
Well, that’s what the law says, but since when has that stopped the militant left? When the law conflicts with their extraordinarily fascist agenda, they go with the agenda. And unfortunately, the courts in many states (to say nothing of the Supreme Court itself) go right along with this insanity.
Good luck to Angelique as she takes this battle to the legal system. Can you imagine the kind of courage it would take to fight this battle as a teenager? Agree with her or not – (although, how could you not?) – you have to admire her guts. If there were more Americans like her, this country would be a much different place. Maybe instead of making heroes out of men who attack the police, we should make heroes out of people like Angelique Clark.