National Archives agrees to pay $10,000 to pro-lifers instructed to take away anti-abortion swag

U.S. News
By Carolina Stanton

Three pro-life activists have reached a $10,000 settlement with the National Archives after safety focused their anti-abortion swag following the 2023 National March for Life.

The consent order filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia stated that the three plaintiffs would collectively obtain $10,000 to settle the federal lawsuit filed in February after they have been instructed to take away or cowl their pro-life apparel, or be compelled to depart the museum.

“This is an especially important victory, as one month from today, pro-life Americans will once again gather in Washington, D.C., for the March for Life,” stated Jay Sekulow, government director of the American Center for Law and Justice, which represented the activists.

The 2024 National March for Life is scheduled for Jan. 19 on the National Mall, an annual occasion timed to the Supreme Court’s 1973 choice in Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a nationwide Constitutional proper. The ruling was overturned in June 2022.

“Our victory today ensures that they will be free from harassment and that their First Amendment rights will be protected should they choose to visit the National Archives and view the very documents that protect those sacred rights,” Mr. Sekulow stated.

The middle’s three unnamed purchasers — described as a grandmother, a legislation pupil, and a pupil at a Catholic highschool — have been amongst a number of guests who stated they have been confronted final yr by safety on the National Archives and the Smithsonian over their pro-life apparel.

Two of the purchasers stated they have been instructed to take away or cowl a T-shirt with the message “Life is a HUMAN RIGHT,” and a button that stated “Pro-Love is the New Pro-Life.”

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly’s consent order stated that the National Archives and Records Administration is enjoined from prohibiting guests from sporting “t-shirts, hats, buttons, etc., that display protest language, including religious and political speech.”

The administration additionally agreed to show over a report disclosing the identification of the safety guard who gave the order; be sure that its staff and contractors perceive that such attire is allowed, and supply the plaintiffs with an apology and a personal tour.

“NARA regrets the events on January 20, 2023, and has reminded all NARA’s contract security officers at NARA’s facilities across the country of the rights of visitors,” stated the seven-page settlement doc signed Dec. 19 by Judge Kelly.

The settlement covers “all claims by Plaintiffs for, attorney’s fees, expenses, costs, and interest in connection with this matter,” the order stated.

Mr. Sekulow stated that the National Archives “was not the only federal institution to engage in this unlawful discrimination against pro-lifers.”

“We stand ready and able to defend the First Amendment rights of pro-lifers in our nation’s capital next month,” he stated. “If you or your children are discriminated against in a federal building because of your pro-life or religious views, please reach out to us at ACLJ.org/help.”

He added that the ACLJ is “working to ensure that no federal institution can target and discriminate against pro-lifers – especially on the day of the March for Life.”

The theme for the 2024 National March for Life is “With Every Woman, For Every Child,” signifying an emphasis on the help provided by pro-life being pregnant facilities and organizations for ladies dealing with an unplanned being pregnant.

“Pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes nationwide are here to walk alongside you when the path is unclear,” stated the March for Life in a November video. “So we will walk — no, we will march, with every woman, for every child. Because that is what it means to be pro-life.”

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