Pro-life memorial vandalized

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THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A member of the student government at a Wisconsin university ransacked a pro-life group's memorial in full view of campus security and while being videotaped.

A tape of the vandalism, which has been posted at YouTube.com under the title "Cemetery of Innocents conflict," shows pro-choice students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) ripping out of the ground and knocking over crosses arranged like they would be in a cemetery.

Pointers for Life had UWSP approval for the memorial on the campus lawn, which the group says symbolizes the unborn children killed by abortion.

In the 3-minute video of the May 1 attack, widely linked by pro-life and conservative sites last week, sophomore Roderick King is yelling at the pro-life students, who already had seen their memorial vandalized once, telling them they had no right to publicly protest abortion.

Abortion "is a right. You don't have the right to challenge it. Write a paper. Do not, do not put this in front of all of us. This is not your right," yells Mr. King, a senator with the UWSP Student Government Association, as he grabs the white crosses out of the ground and tosses them aside.

When campus security show up, Mr. King says, "I don't care if they have the university's approval," adding that his actions constitute freedom of speech. As the officer tries to escort Mr. King off the lawn, he continues to rip out the crosses.

UWSP spokesman Stephen Ward called the behavior "inappropriate," saying it "demonstrated intolerance that is unacceptable on the UWSP campus."

"University procedures are being followed," he said, though adding that privacy concerns prevented the university from saying whether any disciplinary actions were taken against Mr. King or anyone else.

Pointers has filed a written complaint with the school's Student Government Association but told reporters that Mr. King has been neither disciplined nor removed by the SGA.

Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America, called the UWSP vandalism the latest example of how "campus pro-life groups are being singled out and excluded from the guaranteed freedom of speech and expression on college campuses."

Since 2005, similar cross memorials and other pro-life displays have been vandalized at Louisiana State University, Northern Kentucky University, Oregon State University, the University of Pennsylvania and other campuses.