Hoosier State Today

Ahead of the 2025 National March for Life in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senators Todd Young and Ted Cruz are taking steps to ensure that pro-life Americans' First Amendment rights are upheld during their visit to the nation's capital.

In 2023, during the March for Life, pro-life individuals, including students and children, experienced harassment and discrimination from Smithsonian Institution employees and security officers at the National Archives Museum.

To prevent a recurrence of such incidents, Senators Young and Cruz have written to both the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Archivist of the United States seeking assurances against similar conduct.

In one incident in 2023, students from South Carolina were reportedly mocked and expelled by Smithsonian employees for wearing pro-life apparel at the National Air and Space Museum. The affected parties reached a settlement in March 2024. In their letter to Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Young and Cruz requested adherence to constitutional principles and settlement terms to avoid future occurrences.

Another incident involved pro-life individuals from Illinois being asked to cover or remove their attire at the National Archives Museum. A civil case resulted in a February 2023 settlement where NARA was "enjoined from prohibiting visitors from wearing t-shirts, hats, buttons, etc., that display protest language." This injunction expired on January 19, 2025.

Young and Cruz addressed Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States, expressing concern over potential misinterpretation of this expiration as permission to revert to previous practices. They requested NARA's commitment to respecting First Amendment rights for all visitors.

The full text of these letters is available through provided links. Further details on efforts by Senators Young and Cruz can be accessed online.