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Title: Pittsburgh free-speech ordinance challenged Post by: Soldier4Christ on December 21, 2007, 06:00:05 PM Pittsburgh free-speech ordinance challenged
The Alliance Defense Fund is challenging an ordinance that restricts access to public areas surrounding abortion clinics. A recent hearing was held at the federal courthouse in Pittsburgh in a case that involves the city's restrictions on pro-life speech. Two years ago, the city approved the disputed ordinance, but last year Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys filed a motion for a preliminary injunction when they asked the judge to allow pro-life activist Mary Kathryn Brown to speak in the restricted area. David Cortman is senior legal counsel with the ADF. "Basically, the law states that within a hundred feet of any abortion clinic in the entire city, you cannot come closer than eight feet away from a person without that person giving their consent," he explains. "Nor can you come within 15 feet of any abortion clinic door if you're engaging in what's called education, protest, and counseling. Obviously, that's directed at pro-life advocates." The senior legal counsel argues that public sidewalks have always been free-speech zones. A decision is expected in the case before the end of the year. |