A federal court has issued another victory for life, this time in California. There, a judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a state law restricting free speech outside abortion facilities.
As reported in LifeNews.com, the law, California Senate Bill 742, "bans certain free-speech activities outside abortion facilities and vaccination sites" and "creates a 30-foot buffer zone between peaceful pro-life advocates and abortion facility patients." Individuals who violate the law could face fines of $1,000 and up to six months in jail!
Life Legal Defense Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of pro-life advocates and asked the court to stop enforcement of the law during the case. Judge Nathanael Cousins agreed to do so, noting that the pro-life advocates will likely prevail in their legal challenge.
"This language raises a very real risk that speech will necessarily be chilled in the course of enforcement of this law, even in the absence of the overbroad harassment section," Cousins wrote in his ruling. "It is not at all clear how a given law enforcement official is supposed to determine, possibly from a significant distance, whether someone is approaching with the lawful purposes of educating or leafleting, as opposed to the unlawful purpose of intimidating or interfering."
Please be in prayer as this case continues, and consider how you might support the pro-life movement as we seek to eliminate the evil of abortion once and for all!
