Tom Ciesielka
Pro-Life Action.org
America’s foremost grassroots pro-life activist organization is applauding U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McCullen v. Coakley. The nation’s high court struck down the restrictive Massachusetts abortion clinic buffer zone law, allowing pro-life sidewalk counselors to resume sharing life-saving alternatives with abortion bound women.
“Today’s ruling is a great vindication of sidewalk counseling,” declared Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League. “The justices in the majority recognize that our compassionate pro-life outreach to mothers outside abortion clinics deserves the protection of the First Amendment.” The Pro-Life Action League is an internationally recognized leader in training pro-life advocates for sidewalk counseling. This peaceful ministry consists of gently reaching out to women outside of abortion clinics, presenting them with life-saving alternatives.
The court struck down a Massachusetts-imposed 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics. Within this zone, pro-life speech was completely — and unconstitutionally — banned. Similar restrictions enacted elsewhere in the country are expected to be overturned as a result of today’s ruling.
Despite overturning McCullen v. Coakley, less restrictive bubble zones set forth in Hill v. Colorado have been allowed to stand, including one in Chicago where the Pro-Life Action League is headquartered.
“Confusing, erratically enforced bubble zone laws remain on the books in many places,” Scheidler remarked. “Even with today’s victory, freedom of speech by pro-life advocates is not yet fully protected.” Scheidler and his legal team are eager to build on today’s precedent. Their goal is to eradicate all laws prohibiting pro-life speech outside of abortion clinics.
Since its inception in 1980, the Pro-Life Action League has promoted sidewalk counseling as the most direct and essential form of pro-life activism. Thousands have been trained via the organization’s seminars, and countless mothers and children have been saved from abortion through the outreach of sidewalk counselors.
About the Pro-Life Action League
The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joe Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving babies from abortion through direct action. Not content to await a political or judicial solution to abortion, the League seeks to stop the killing of unborn children right now through all available peaceful means, including public protest, sidewalk counseling, education, youth outreach, and national leadership.
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