The office supply store Office Depot is coming under fire from pro-life advocates after it refused to print pro-life flyers for a pro-life woman who wanted to distribute a pro-life prayer. The company claims the prayers advocate the persecution of people who support abortion and said that was the reason why it could not fulfill the print order for the flyers.
On August 20, Maria Goldstein placed her order for printing at the Office Depot in Schaumburg, Illinois. The item to be printed was a flyer that stated several statistics from Planned Parenthood’s 2013-2014 annual report, mentioned the abortion company’s harvesting of fetal body parts, and included a prayer for the conversion of Planned Parenthood.
Goldstein was told by an Office Depot employee that the printing of her flyer was “restricted by corporate policy” and that her order would not be filled.
Goldstein contacted the Office of the Chairman multiple times to discuss the company’s refusal to fill her order. Diane Demma from the Office of the Chairman stood up for the Office Depot employees’ refusal to print Ms. Goldstein’s flyer and offered no other alternatives.
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“Office Depot is discriminating against me based on my religion,” said Maria Goldstein. “If the store can pick and choose what orders it fills based on religious content, it is refusing to treat people of faith equally. In America where we value freedom of religion, this is simply unacceptable.”
Now, the Thomas More Society, a pro-life legal firm, has sent a demand letter to Office Depot, challenging the company’s refusal to print religious flyers for customer Maria Goldstein at its Schaumburg, Illinois location as discrimination and a violation of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance.
“Anyone can order printing at Office Depot,” said Thomas Olp, Thomas More Society special counsel attorney. “But because Ms. Goldstein’s flyers had religious content—namely calling for prayer for Planned Parenthood—Office Depot refused to complete her order. This is a blatant violation of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance, which forbids public businesses from discriminating based on religion.”
Thomas More Society’s demand letter states that Office Depot must cease its unlawful refusal to service Ms. Golstein’s copying order or the Society will act to secure Ms. Goldstein’s rights before the Cook County Human Rights Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, or other appropriate venue.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life,told LifeNews.com he’s upset by Office Depot’s decision to refuse to print the pro-life materials — and noted the flyer was meant for a prayer campaign his group is sponsoring.
“One of the prayers I wrote for this campaign was taken to an Office Depot in a Chicago suburb by Maria Goldstein, who wanted to make a few hundred copies for her parish,” explained Fr. Frank. “The store refused to print it and the Chicago Tribune reports that an Office Depot spokeswoman said this is because the prayer ‘advocates the persecution of people who support abortion rights.’ Actually, the opposite is true: the prayer advocates their conversion, enlightenment, and salvation.”
“I am proud of Maria Goldstein for standing up for her rights, and I call upon Office Depot to reconsider this decision by evaluating more carefully the words of the prayer and the intent of its author,” he said.
The prayer campaign that utilizes this Prayer for the Conversion of Planned Parenthood, and several other prayers with a similar theme, launches again this Saturday, September 12 and runs through the 20th. It will take place again from October 10-18th.
