PAXTANG, PA — A couple who refused to remove a pro-life sign that officials said defied a borough ordinance has been told the sign can stay.
Paxtang codes enforcement officer Brian Seneca told Colman and Frances Wessel last month that their sign, a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the message “This home supports the pro-life cause and is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” defied a local bi-law. The ordinance allows signage for “public, religious and charitable institutions and uses.” The Wessels were ordered to remove the sign from their front porch or face a $500 fine or two months in jail. They refused.
Councilman Frank Krautheim said the ordinance is outdated, and the sign can stay.
“Jesus was pro-life, and we are, too,” Colman Wessel told The Patriot-News. They refused to remove the sign, saying it was part of their first amendment rights to exercise their freedom of speech. “Our sign links the Sacred Heart of Jesus with the pro-life movement. We're leaving the sign up.”
“It was never [the] council's intention to limit anyone's free speech,” Krautheim said. “We understand free speech. We simply have an outdated ordinance.”
Paxtang is a borough on the outskirts of Harrisburg in central Pennsylvania.
See also:
Town to Fine Couple for Putting Pro-Life Sign on Their Own Home
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
