Notre Dame: Prosecutor Presses Trespass Charges Against Pro-life Advocates

NOTRE DAME (Christian Newswire) - Thomas More Society attorneys appeared in St. Joseph County Criminal Court to defend two prominent pro-life advocates against trespass charges brought this morning by local prosecutors in the wake of protests at the University of Notre Dame.

Laura Rohling and Jane Brennan went onto the Notre Dame campus to educate students about the after-effects of abortion, based on their own personal experiences with abortion. Ms. Brennan, author of "Motherhood Interrupted," is a frequent guest on Catholic TV and radio. She serves as regional coordinator in Colorado of "Silent No More," a group which brings public attention to the plight of women who have experienced emotional and other pain after abortion. Ms. Rohling serves as assistant regional coordinator of that group.

"The Thomas More Society is urging the University to request that these trespass charges be dropped," said Tom Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Society. "Such a magnanimous gesture will go far toward healing the divisions that have arisen between Notre Dame and the pro-life movement, in light of recent events."

The Society has assembled an all-"Fighting Irish" team, including President and Chief Counsel Thomas Brejcha, Notre Dame class of '65, Executive Director Peter Breen, Notre Dame Law class of '00, and South Bend attorney David Wemhoff, Notre Dame class of '79, in defense of Ms. Rohling and Ms. Brennan.

"What's vitally needed is dialogue about pro-life issues of abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, marriage, as well as about capital punishment and peace issues rather than confrontation in South Bend's criminal court," Brejcha continued. "The pro-life movement is the next stage of America's civil rights movement, and Notre Dame is not Birmingham."

The Thomas More Society has a history of partnership with the University of Notre Dame. The late Fr. Ned Joyce, former Executive Vice President of the University, was a regular financial supporter of the Society. Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, former President of the University, wrote fundraising letters in support of the Thomas More Society's successful defense of peaceable, non-violent abortion protests in the landmark United States Supreme Court case, NOW v. Scheidler.

About the Thomas More Society

Founded in 1997, the Thomas More Society, Pro-Life Law Center, is a not-for-profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago and dedicated to fighting for the rights and dignity of all human life. The Society vigorously defends clients in state and federal courtrooms around the country, addressing vital issues across the pro-life spectrum, including pregnancy discrimination, end-of-life health care, the right of conscientious objection for medical workers and freedom of speech for peaceable nonviolent protest.As a public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, supported solely by private donations. Visit www.thomasmoresociety.org for more information.

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