{"id":212781,"date":"2019-10-21T14:27:08","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T19:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=212781"},"modified":"2019-10-21T15:18:18","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T20:18:18","slug":"pittsburgh-buffer-zones-sidewalk-counselors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pittsburgh-buffer-zones-sidewalk-counselors\/","title":{"rendered":"Court rules Pittsburgh buffer zones don’t apply to sidewalk counselors"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit upheld a Pittsburgh city ordinance that allows for the creation of buffer zones around abortion facilities, but reinterpreted the law to affirm that the buffer zone does not apply to peaceful, pro-life sidewalk counselors. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/a>, the court\u2019s ruling determined that the ordinance, passed by the city council in 2005, does not apply to peaceful pro-life sidewalk counselors who approach people entering abortion facilities.<\/p>\n

The Post-Gazette explained, \u201cAs long as the sidewalk counselors\u2019 attempts to dissuade women are peaceful, quiet and conducted as one-on-one conversations, they are allowed to take place inside the 15-foot buffer zone around the clinic, the court said.\u201d The ordinance bans people from \u201cknowingly\u00a0congregat[ing], patrol[ing], picket[ing] or demonstrate[ing]\u201d\u00a0within buffer zones, which can be established around abortion facilities and a variety of medical buildings.<\/p>\n

READ: Buffer zones are anything but pro-choice<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite a 2014 Supreme Court case,\u00a0McCullen v. Coakley<\/a><\/em>, that unanimously ruled the practice of buffer zones, around abortion facilities or elsewhere, is unconstitutional, cities continue to pass and uphold ordinances like the one in Pittsburgh, and use them to silence pro-life sidewalk counselors.<\/p>\n

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the lawsuit that led to Friday\u2019s ruling in 2014 on behalf of pro-life sidewalk counselors who had not been permitted in the 15-foot buffer zone. \u201cAs the 3rd Circuit has now held, the government can\u2019t censor peaceful, pro-life conversation on public sidewalks. Citizens have the freedom to share a message of hope and compassion with any mother seeking to make an informed choice about her pregnancy,\u201d ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves said in a press release<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n