Pro-Life License Plate Declared Unconstitutional

Pro-Life License Plate Declared Unconstitutional

A new ‘pro-life’ license available in North Carolina is causing controversy. Government officials claim that it is unconstitutional to offer a pro-life plate without the offering a pro-choice plate as well.

via CNN

A federal judge ruled that North Carolina’s new “Choose Life” license plates are unconstitutional because the state does not offer a pro-choice alternative.

“The State’s offering a Choose Life license plate in the absence of a pro-choice alternative constitutes viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment,” U.S. District Court Judge James Fox wrote in the ruling Friday.

The ruling was praised by the American Civil Liberties Union, which had filed a lawsuit in 2011 to stop the specialty plates.

“This is a great victory for the free speech rights of all North Carolinians, regardless of their point of view on reproductive freedom,” said Chris Brook of the ACLU. “The government cannot create an avenue of expression for one side of a contentious political issue while denying an equal opportunity to citizens with the opposite view.”

We agree that the state should offer both license options to NC residents…..and we also hope that a child is responsible for this….uh…..art work. Otherwise, we have questions.