Anti-Abortion Club Approved, Founder Won't be a Member

Courtland High School senior Maddie Sutherland won her fight to start an anti-abortion club at her school, Thursday, Nov. 13. But, she won’t be able to join.

Sutherland submitted an application for a pro-life club in September, but Principal Larry Marks denied the application in early October, claiming it was incomplete. After resubmitting her application Oct. 24 and waiting two weeks for Marks to respond, Sutherland took matters into her own hands and contacted Chicago-based law firm, the Thomas Moore Society.

Thursday, Nov. 13, two days after Marks received a letter from the Thomas Moore Society accusing him of violating Sutherland’s First Amendment rights and threatening to take legal action, Marks approved the club. But not until next school year.

Sutherland’s anti-abortion club, to be called Courtland Students for Life, will not be recognized as an official Courtland organization until the 2015-2016 school year, several months after she and friends who planned to join the club have graduated.

The school said in a release that club applications must be submitted to the principal prior to June 1 in order to be recognized for the next school year. Sutherland, who submitted her original application in September, missed that deadline.

Attorneys with the Thomas Moore Society called the application deadline unconstitutional. They plan to continue fighting for Sutherland and will send a formal response to Marks on Monday.

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