Life Legal Defense Foundation Says UCSB Faculty Member's Conviction Should Dissuade Similar Violence
Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Aug. 16, 2014 /Christian Newswire/
-- Mireille Miller-Young, an associate professor of feminist studies at
the University of California at Santa Barbara, was sentenced to 108
hours of community service, 10 hours of anger management, and three
years probation for her assault on a group of pro-life students in early
March. She was also ordered to pay a small fine and restitution of
almost $500. The incident took place on the Santa Barbara campus, where
Miller-Young attacked and forcibly took property from teenagers who were
exercising their free speech rights in the public square to educate
about abortion and promote its alternatives. As a result, Miller-Young
was convicted of grand theft, vandalism, and battery in July.
Thrin
and Joan Short, victims of the assault for which Miller-Young was
convicted, were in court to hear the sentencing, along with their
mother, Katie Short, Life Legal Defense Foundation Legal Director.
Despite Miller-Young's attack, the Short family has called for restraint
in speaking about Miller-Young.
"While
Miller-Young submitted a written apology to the court for taking and
destroying the sign, the sincerity of that apology is undercut by other
letters she submitted from colleagues, several of which attempt to shift
the blame onto the pro-lifers," said the elder Short. "Regardless of
the actual level of her remorse, her conviction on three misdemeanor
charges will undoubtedly be sufficient to dissuade her from any
repetition of her outrageous conduct. The prosecution itself should have
disabused her of the notion that she could victimize pro-lifers with
impunity, an attitude clearly on display in the video,"
she added, referring to footage taken by the Short sisters during the
assault. "We hope that anyone else who might consider violence or
vandalism against pro-life advocates will take note."
To date, Miller-Young has not apologized for her physical attack on Thrin Short, nor has the university condemned the criminal actions of its employee, who remains listed in the faculty directory.
Read the statements of support for Miller-Young from her peers here.
Read the statement of one the young people who were assaulted here (more available upon request).
Read statement of the mother of two of the young people who were involved in the demonstration concerned in the case against Ms. Miller-Young here.
Watch the video of Miller-Young's March 4, 2014, theft, vandalism and assault on the pro-life students.
Read the Life Legal Defense Foundation original release on the story: National Pro Life Lawyer: Defending Daughters and Doing What's Right
About Life Legal Defense Foundation
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established
in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and
other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human
beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice
in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information about the Life
Legal Defense Foundation, visit www.lldf.org.
