Why not be happy with 10 feet??
Sidewalk counselor says Colorado’s ban on approaching people outside abortion clinics violates her free speech
DENVER (CN) — A pro-life woman who wants to counsel women outside Denver-area abortion clinics sued Colorado Governor Jared Polis in federal court on Thursday, claiming a state law prohibiting protest within 8 feet of healthcare facilities prevents her from carrying out her religious calling and violates her First Amendment rights.
Denver resident Wendy Faustin considers abortion "a horrific moral wrong." She says her religious beliefs compel her to perform “sidewalk counseling” outside abortion clinics, where she wants to connect with women and persuade them to carry pregnancies to term.
A decades-old law in Colorado criminalizes approaching people outside abortion clinics with the intent to protest or educate, preventing Faustin from following her calling. While she hopes to have “close, personal conversations” with women seeking abortions, the law requires Faustin to stay 8 feet away, even on a public sidewalk. Violations of the state law are punishable by a $300 fine and up to 10 days in jail.
“The government may not target life-affirming speech simply because it disagrees with the message. That is unlawful viewpoint discrimination,” said Faustin’s attorney, Roger Byron of the First Liberty Institute, in a statement. “It should not be a crime to lovingly and compassionately approach another person to tell them about alternatives to abortion.”
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Colorado law in the 2000 case Hill v. Colorado, but three associate justices dissented: Anthony Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas (no surprise there).
Following the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed abortion protections set by 1973's Roe v. Wade, Faustin asks the court to overturn Hill v. Colorado and uphold her First Amendment rights.
What I am reading from this complaint is that Faustin wants to get into your face, and can't be satisfied to do her "counselling" from 10 feet from the clinic.
How do YOU read her complaint?
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