University officials effectively shut down
a “cemetery of innocents” display at the Miami University Campus in Hamilton, Ohio
Students sue over ‘pro-life’ protest at Miami University
Miami University students filed a lawsuit against their
school’s president, trustees and other administrators over a “pro-life”
protest. Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom on Wednesday filed a federal
lawsuit on behalf of the students against Miami claiming the university
violated the student's free speech rights.
Since 2015, the student group has set up a display of
crosses on the university’s Central Quad to commemorate the lives lost to
abortion, along with an explanatory sign.
This fall, the university officials refused to approve the display
unless the students agreed to post warning signs around campus with a “trigger
warning” that urged people not to view it. Officials feared the pro-life
display might cause “emotional trauma” for some viewers and this would help
those individuals “better protect and manage their emotional reactions to the
display.”
“No university
official has the authority to censor student speech simply because of how
someone might respond to it,” Travis Barham, legal counsel for Alliance
Defending Freedom, said.
Barham said public
university administrators have an obligation to respect students’ free speech
rights and, under the First Amendment, “can’t impose trigger warnings that
restrict what some students can say to spare the feelings of others.”
The university has the authority to grant or deny any
student group’s request to conduct an exhibit on campus. Students ask for a
permit at least seven business days in advance, explain the message and purpose
of their exhibit and agree to let university officials edit the display as they
see fit. This “sweeping authority” allows administrators to deny permits for
any reason and to control students’ messages by imposing specific conditions
for approval.
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