Anti-abortion activists march outdoors of the U.S. Capitol through the March for Life in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. Jose Luis Magana, Related Press
College students from a Catholic college in South Carolina declare they bought a not-so-warm welcome on the Smithsonian Nationwide Air and House Museum in Washington, D.C., after they entered carrying hats proclaiming their opposition to abortion.
The scholars and their chaperones from Our Girl of the Rosary Faculty in Greenville, who had been on the town for the 2023 March for Life, say museum staffers informed them they wanted to take away their hats in the event that they needed to remain and go searching. The sunshine blue beanies learn “Rosary Professional-Life.”
“Different people within the museum had been carrying hats of all types with out situation,” claims Jordan Sekulow, government director of the American Middle for Regulation and Justice, in a weblog publish concerning the incident.
The middle is now representing six of the scholars and two of their dad and mom, who're planning to file a lawsuit in opposition to the museum.
Attorneys despatched the Smithsonian Establishment a letter Wednesday instructing museum officers to protect all inside communications about interactions with the scholars.
“A authorities establishment can not censor a person’s speech,” Sekulow wrote.
Museum officers have disputed some features of the scholars’ story concerning the encounter, asserting, for instance, that nobody was “berated,” in keeping with The Washington Examiner.
However they’ve additionally apologized to the college group and had staffers undergo coaching geared toward stopping future battle.
“Asking guests to take away hats and clothes isn't in step with our coverage or protocols,” mentioned Alison Wooden, spokeswomen for the Nationwide Air and House Museum, in a press release to The Washington Examiner. “We offered fast coaching to forestall a reoccurrence of this type of incident and have decided steps to make sure this doesn't occur once more.”
Our Girl of the Rosary Faculty was one in every of lots of of faculties to ship college students to attend the March for Life. The annual occasion brings collectively abortion opponents from throughout the nation to advocate for an finish to authorized abortion.