Oh The Idiocy: The Religious Wrong Strikes Again
By: idealthoughts
Published On: 9/28/2007 7:26:56 PM
While getting dinner at work tonight I heard a story on channel 7 that made me almost choke (that would have been bad since I am the company's Occupational Health Nurse and it wouldn't have been pretty me performing the Heimlick on myself). Many of the things that came to mind while then researching this story I couldn't touch but george Carlin, should you be listening this is too much.
Remember folks we do allow judges to sue and claim their pants are worth $54,000,000.00
In watching local news tonight I almost fell out of my chair laughing, yet crying too over a story on ABC News 7 tonight regarding a student in a Stafford County high school suing her school for not allowing her to start a "pro-life" club in school. Remember folks this is the outer reaches of the metropolitan D.C. area where pants are valued at $54,000,000.00. Oh not to be left out, the conservative Christian based group the Alliance Defense Fund is representing her for free.
"It's our opinion the school should immediately permit the formation of the pro-life club and we would be glad to settle the lawsuit," said David Cortman, an Alliance Defense Fund lawyer.
We will explore this a little further in a moment. The school and Stafford County School Board according to this report could not comment since litigation was pending. However, apparently a copy of the letter from the student's principal was obtained and the rational for the denial and subsequent law suit are as follows.
Colonial Forge Principal Lisa Martin denied the request for the club, saying it doesn't relate to the curriculum. However, Cortman said the school has other clubs that don't appear to be directly linked with studies - the Young Republicans, Young Democrats, and Students Against Destructive Decisions, for example. School system policy encourages clubs that "supplement the goals and objectives of the school division." In a letter to the student, Martin said the club "does not meet the standard of a direct curricular link." The family life curriculum prohibits teachers from discussing abortion, she wrote. (emphasis mine).
Ok, the Alliance Defense Fund argued that if the school teaches civics, anything advocating a civic action on any issue would be curricular related. The Alliance has also asked a federal judge to have the school pay their legal fees. Talk about prostituting the tax payer let's look at this issue, and I do not intend to spare any humor or sarcasm.
First, in the Commonwealth of Virginia a minor is not by law allowed to have sexual relations. So why would a student be advocating a pro-life club if at the same time there was not an advocacy for sex? Isn't that how life is created? Second, the very issue is not allowed to be discussed by the school system's religious right wing tailored so called sex education program. In fact the religious right doesn't want sex discussed at all with their kids by educated, responsible adults, why in the name of all blazes would they want teenagers discussing this? Are these groups now deciding they should go back to biblical days and start marrying off their daughters at 12 and 13? This is more then just the run of the mill "trying to have your cake and eat it too", and implies a whole new meaning to the idea/phrase "keep em barefoot and pregnant". I cannot fathom the lunacy of this young student, though I doubt it was her idea, so let's point the finger at the lunacy of her parents and Alliance Defense Fund trying to make an antiabortion statement while picking the pockets of Stafford County residents.
Crossposted DailyKos, idealthoughts
Comments
Don't they have the right? (tx2vadem - 10/1/2007 12:48:55 AM)
Don't students have the right, albeit limited, to freedom of speech and assembly? I am certainly not in the camp of anti-reproductive-control advocates. However, doesn't the school denying the request substantially impair the student's rights without an acceptable justification as set forth in Supreme Court decisions on the topic?
Look at the premis (idealthoughts - 10/1/2007 8:54:01 PM)
of their proposal. To do so they will have to discuss sexual relationships, procreation, the need for pro life vs pro choice. Are they advocating getting pregnant? Remember the cirriculum of the school system is abstenance and doesn't allow for the discussion of abortion, why then would they need to discuss pro life if they are abstinent? All they want is headlines and get the name "pro-lifee" displayed. At this point I would question their platform and sunversive, even sick methodology