Court won’t consider free-speech
challenge to abortion clinic law
NATIONAL
WASHING
TON (Al*) — The
Supreme Court
riijei ted ,» free
speech challenge
Monday to the
sear-old federal law that pro
tects ao i'ss to abortion clinic s
The justices. without corn
mimt. left mt.it t an appeals court
ruling in a Virginia case that
said the law does not infringe oil
anyone's freedom of expression
while protecting people who
seek or provide abortions.
Might federal trial judges and
two federal appeals i units haw
upheld the Freedom of Act ess
to Clinic entrances Ar t. hut a
federal judge in Wisc onsin has
dot lured it unconstitutional
The Supreme Court action did
not resolve the issue definitive
ly. but was a setback for anti
abortion activists who say the
law aimed at deterring violence
and intimidation squelches
peaceful protest as well
In the t sse. tlie courl refused
to hear an appeal filed by Con
cerned Women for America and
one of its members
Hut still pending before the
justices is a challenge to the
clinic-access law by another
anti Abortion group, the Ameri
< an Ufa League
"Our appeal raises the free
speech issue, but also argues
that Congress Im ked the author
itv to enact mu It legislation
because no interstate cammen»
was involved." saui Marion Har
rison an American l.ife League
lawyer ‘We think that s a hot
tii ket Issue with the Supreme
Court right now
The high court in April struck
down a federal law that made it
a crime to have a gun within
1.000 feet of «t publii school
The t ourt said Congress' power
to regulate interstate common e
didn't stretch that far
Abortion rights advocates
welcomed Monday s at turn
"FACE has been a highly
effective tool against abortion
clinic violence," said Deborah
LUis of the NOW Legal Defense
and Liiin ation 1 und
Kate Mil helman of the
National Abortion and Repro
ductive Rights Action League
said the law "does not reslru 1
free speech, hut it does punish
harmful conduct."
"Anti-choice protesters must
recognute that opposition to
abortion is not a license to stalk,
bomb, threaten. harass, intimi
date or muni or doctors and
women," Mn hetman said
President Clinton signed the
law May 24. 1904 that same
day. the two anti-abortion
groups sued in Alexandria. Va .
in an attempt to have the law
invalidated
U S District Judge Lonnie
Hrinkema threw out both law
suits uui ihe 4'h t.iri uit l imit
upheld her ruling las! February
Concerned Women's appeal
said the challenged law "is the
only federal statute designed to
regulate political protests of
only one selected movement,
the pro-life movement at one
selec tion site, abortion clinic s
I
tent
based disc rimination.’- the
appeal argued
Justice Department lawyers
urged thee court to rc»|ec t the
appeal
They said Congress enacted
the law in response- to a nation
wide campaign of violent and
obstructive interference with
ac cess to reproductive health
services "
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