Pro-Life T-Shirt Victory

THOMAS MORE LAW CENTER, May 31 — A Michigan high school principal has seen the light on pro-life T-shirts. After the principal threatened students with suspension for wearing T-shirts that said “Abortion is Mean” and “Abortion is Homicide,” the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor sent a six-page letter to school officials detailing the students' rights to wear pro-life clothing.

The principal responded with a letter to the center explaining that he had reversed his earlier decision and agreed that the students had a right to wear the shirts in school.

Richard Thompson, the law center's chief counsel, observed: “This was just another example of Christians being silenced for expressing their faith. Fortunately, these two students and their families had the courage to fight back.”

Union Dues Dispute

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER

June 4 — Kathleen Klamut resisted paying union dues when she worked as a psychologist for the Louisville, Ohio, school district because the Ohio Education Association and its national affiliate are pro-abortion. Klamut wanted to send her dues to a charity. An agreement negotiated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1999 allowed her to do so.

Now Klamut wants to do the same thing in her new district, Ravenna City Schools, where she is a part-time psychologist.

She filed a complaint with the commission last week claiming the union discriminated against her for religious reasons.

Chris Lopez, the OEA chief attorney, said Friday that the union routinely responds to religious objectors. However, Klamut says she has received no signals from her local union chapter or the OEA regional consultant that they would work with her.

Adult Stem Cells

DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL

CEN TER, May 31 — Researchers from Duke University Medical Center and Artecel Sciences, Inc., have changed adult stem cells taken from fat into cells that appear to be nerve cells.

Duke researchers and scientists from Artecel have reprogrammed adult stem cells taken from liposuction into fat, cartilage and bone cells that are all connective tissue. The latest experiments have shown these stem cells can be turned from fat into a totally different type: neuronal cells.

The researchers hope future experiments may show these new cells have the potential to treat central nervous system diseases anddisorders.