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Bridget Sielicki
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Smithsonian forced to apologize to pro-life students after lawsuit
Two months after a group of pro-life students was discriminated against at a Smithsonian museum, a lawsuit was successful in garnering the students not only an apology, but also assurances that this kind of discrimination would not happen again.
After the March for Life, a group of students from South Carolina visited the federally-funded Smithsonian Air and Space Museum but were kicked out for wearing pro-life beanies. Shortly afterwards, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced it had filed a lawsuit on the students’ behalf.
“The victims were students,” the ACLJ said in a statement. “They wore matching hats from their Catholic school so their chaperones could keep track of them, which is a very common practice in museums like this. It’s for the safety and organization of the group. It wasn’t a demonstration.”
The ACLJ has now revealed that lawyers have come to an agreement. The Smithsonian apologized, and agreed to enter into a consent order and preliminary injunction, in which the museum will no longer harass pro-life patrons or discriminate against pro-life speech. According to the consent order:
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Smithsonian shall further reiterate to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, that Smithsonian policy does not prohibit visitors from wearing hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech.
Yet the ACLJ said the battle has not ended.
“[W]e will enter a period of mediation with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to see if we can get to the bottom of why our clients were targeted,” Jordan Sekulow, the executive director for the ACLJ, said in the press release. “This is just one of many coordinated efforts to harass and abuse pro-lifers in federally funded institutions. That directive came from someone, and whoever it was must be held accountable, and we’re going to do the work necessary to hold them accountable.”
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Smithsonian forced to apologize to pro-life students after lawsuit
Two months after a group of pro-life students was discriminated against at a Smithsonian museum, a lawsuit was successful in garnering the students not only an apology, but also assurances that this kind of discrimination would not happen again.
After the March for Life, a group of students from South Carolina visited the federally-funded Smithsonian Air and Space Museum but were kicked out for wearing pro-life beanies. Shortly afterwards, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced it had filed a lawsuit on the students’ behalf.
“The victims were students,” the ACLJ said in a statement. “They wore matching hats from their Catholic school so their chaperones could keep track of them, which is a very common practice in museums like this. It’s for the safety and organization of the group. It wasn’t a demonstration.”
The ACLJ has now revealed that lawyers have come to an agreement. The Smithsonian apologized, and agreed to enter into a consent order and preliminary injunction, in which the museum will no longer harass pro-life patrons or discriminate against pro-life speech. According to the consent order:
Article continues below
Dear Reader,
We’re making a movie! Live Action’s debut feature film, Rise Above, is currently in production, and we need your help to get it across the finish line. When you give $50 or more by July 31st, your gift will help support the production and release of this inspiring film AND will unlock exclusive perks like production updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more. The bigger the gift, the more perks you unlock!
Smithsonian shall further reiterate to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, that Smithsonian policy does not prohibit visitors from wearing hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech.
Yet the ACLJ said the battle has not ended.
“[W]e will enter a period of mediation with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to see if we can get to the bottom of why our clients were targeted,” Jordan Sekulow, the executive director for the ACLJ, said in the press release. “This is just one of many coordinated efforts to harass and abuse pro-lifers in federally funded institutions. That directive came from someone, and whoever it was must be held accountable, and we’re going to do the work necessary to hold them accountable.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!

Bridget Sielicki
·
International
Cassy Cooke
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·
International
Cassy Cooke
·
Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·
International
Isabella Doer
·
International
Cassy Cooke
·
International
Cassy Cooke
·
Analysis
Cassy Cooke
·
Politics
Cassy Cooke
·
International
Cassy Cooke
·