Pro-life cupcakes handed out at high school spark controversy

A student-led, pro-life club is stirring controversy with the pro-life cupcakes they handed out at a US high school.

Abortion is still a hot button issue across much of the western world and despite being recently decriminalised in NSW, there is still fierce debate over the issue in places like the USA.

The debate over women's reproductive rights was brought into the classroom at Norwin High School in Pennsylvania, USA this week.

Students from the school's pro-life Knights for Life club passed out cupcakes and flyers promoting an anti-abortion message to their fellow students, sparking controversy.

"Each cupcake is for a child who does not get to celebrate a birthday because of abortion," the flyer read.

According to Dr Jeffrey Taylor, the school's superintendent, the club pass out similar messages every year as part of 'National Pro-life Cupcake Day' and sought the principal's permission to distribute the food and flyers.

Some students were appalled by the pro-life message and complained to school staff, however the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) maintains the pro-life students weren't doing anything wrong.

According to the ACLU, all clubs at the school are legally allowed to distribute political messages to other students, even if those messages may be controversial.

But the pro-life club isn't the only club with these rights, and other student groups are free to pass out opposing political messages.

"The school is going to allow this club to put this out not just the cupcakes, but what is a political message, and distribute that in the school. The law is very clear that every other student group in the school has the same rights," said Vic Walczak of the ACLU.

However, some students claim that's not the case, as the school has forbidden any explicitly LGBT clubs, allowing only a "diversity club."

"Apparently, there is some form of LGBT club that was not allowed to call itself what they wanted. That is a violation," Walczak said.

The school claims that this is not the case, insisting the club has always been called the 'diversity club' and caters to LGBT students.