Students at Abilene Christian University, set up a pro-life display with a sign that said “Abortion is Murder. Disagree? Let’s talk.” School administrators labeled it as “hate speech,” and demanded that it be removed or rephrased. Critics say that the university violated students’ free expression. So here’s the question: can a campus ban a political or moral statement because it might offend some people? The students requested clarification of the term, but university officials failed to offer an exact definition of “hate speech” in its code of conduct. Universities should be the marketplaces of ideas, a place where speech rights of students is upheld, not gatekeepers of approved phrasing. If Abilene Christian’s decision is allowed to stand, it’s a troubling precedent.
