ADF attorney available to media following hearing regarding pro-life speech in Pittsburgh
Ordinance restricts pro-life speech outside abortion clinicsWednesday, January 28, 2009
WHO: ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman
WHAT: Available for media interviews after hearing in Brown v. City of Pittsburgh
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 29, following hearing which begins at 9:30 a.m. EST
WHERE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, 21400 United States Courthouse, 601 Market St., Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman will be available for media interviews Thursday following a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in Brown v. City of Pittsburgh. ADF attorneys are representing a nurse who is challenging a Pittsburgh ordinance that prohibits speech in specified zones outside abortion clinics.
“Pro-life advocates shouldn’t be discriminated against for their beliefs,” said Cortman. “The government can’t constitutionally use a highly restrictive ordinance like this to arbitrarily restrict pro-life speech in public areas.”
In 2005, the city of Pittsburgh enacted an ordinance that restricted access to the public areas surrounding abortion clinics. The ordinance unconstitutionally restricted the speech of Mary Kathryn Brown, a pro-life nurse who counsels women who have had or who are considering an abortion. Brown has never trespassed or blocked individuals from entering or leaving abortion facilities.
Under the ordinance, individuals are prohibited from speaking (or even locating) in the sidewalk area within 15 feet from any entrance to abortion facilities. Moreover, within 100 feet of clinics, individuals must first obtain consent to approach a person closer than 8 feet away before they are permitted to distribute leaflets or handbills; display a sign; or engage in oral protest, education or counseling.
In March 2008, ADF attorneys appealed her case to the 3rd Circuit on her request that the ordinance be halted while her case is being litigated (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4430).
Lawrence Paladin, Jr., of the Paladin Law Offices in Pittsburgh is serving as local counsel in the case. A fact sheet on the lawsuit is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/BrownFactSheet.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
