Highland Heights, KY (LifeNews.com) -- A Northern Kentucky University professor who destroyed a pro-life display against abortion and encouraged her students to vandalize it as well is defending her actions. Dr. Sally Jacobsen, a British literature professor, called the display "silly" and said her free speech rights allowed her and others to trash the display.

As LifeNews.com reported on Thursday, Jacobson and several students from her class vandalized a pro-life display of hundreds of crosses that the campus pro-life group had set up earlier in the week.

The professor and her students were caught on camera and seen by other witnesses trashing the pro-life display.

Jacobson admitted to the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper that she and nine of her students engaged in the vandalism.

"I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to," Jacobsen said.

She told the newspaper she had "no comment" as to whether she was involved, but a reporter form the NKU student newspaper caught Dr. Jacobson on camera.

Jacobson told the Enquirer she was upset by the pro-life display which she labeled a "slap in the face" to women who might be considering "the agonizing and very private decision to have an abortion."

The professor claimed it wasn't clear who put up the cross display, but members of Northern Right to Life, the campus pro-life group, received permission from the school to use the lawn outside the campus center for it.

After Dr. Jacobson and NKU students destroyed the display, members of the group decided put new crosses up in their place and camp out overnight on Thursday to make sure they weren't vandalized again.

The student group also told The Northerner student newspaper it plans to press charges with local police.

"We called the police and told them that we decided to press charges," Julie Broering, treasurer for the group, said. The decision came after members of the pro-life club held a day-long meeting and vote.

David Tobergte, an administrative sergeant with the University Police said those involved could face felony theft charges and any students could also face university sanctions regarding the incident.

Related web sites:
Northern Kentucky University - http://www.nku.edu

PHOTO NOTES: (1) Dr. Sally Jacobson tears down the main "Cemetery of Innocents" sign displayed by the campus pro-life group. (2) Pro-abortion students remove crosses from the display. Photos copyright 2006 The Northerner newspaper.