{"id":1995118,"date":"2023-08-09T07:38:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T11:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-lifers-appeal-new-yorks-anti-speech-sidewalk-counseling-ban-to-supreme-court\/"},"modified":"2023-08-09T07:42:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T11:42:18","slug":"pro-lifers-appeal-new-yorks-anti-speech-sidewalk-counseling-ban-to-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-lifers-appeal-new-yorks-anti-speech-sidewalk-counseling-ban-to-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro-life advocates challenge NY&#8217;s ban on sidewalk counseling in Supreme Court."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpro-lifers-appeal-new-yorks-anti-speech-sidewalk-counseling-ban-to-supreme-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1995118&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>On July 21, the plaintiff in <em>Vitagliano v.\u2064 Westchester County<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com\/20230721171729\/2023-07-21-1-1-Petition-for-a-Writ-of-Certiorari-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">petitioned<\/a> the Supreme Court to find that a county ordinance violates the First Amendment. The ordinance prohibits a person from \u201cengaging in oral protest, education,\u200c or \u200ccounseling\u201d\u200d about abortion within 8 feet of a \u200dperson without that person\u2019s express consent, \u2063if that person\u2064 happens to be within 100\u200d feet of an abortion\u2064 facility.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200cplaintiff, Debra Vitagliano, is a \u200bdevout Catholic occupational <a href=\"https:\/\/www.becketlaw.org\/case\/vitagliano-v-county-of-westchester\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">therapist<\/a> for children with special needs. Vitagliano wanted to do sidewalk counseling outside a Westchester County abortion facility but was <a href=\"https:\/\/becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com\/20230721171729\/2023-07-21-1-1-Petition-for-a-Writ-of-Certiorari-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">facing<\/a> a criminal misdemeanor if she even spoke to a woman about alternative options \u2064to abortion.\u2063 According to Joseph Davis, an attorney for Becket Law who is representing Vitagliano, \u200dWestchester County \u201cdoesn\u2019t want women to know about other options\u201d than abortion. \u200dThe ordinance requires that \u201cwithin a certain distance you can\u2019t even \u200dwalk up and have a peaceful conversation,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1313105428\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-24d10d8089508269bedb62068a15e808 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-24d10d8089508269bedb62068a15e808\"><\/div>\n<p>The ordinance was passed in 2022 following\u200d the Supreme Court\u2019s \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/21pdf\/19-1392_6j37.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> overturning an alleged constitutional\u2064 \u201cright\u201d to abortion in <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em>. Westchester County had not seen a \u200bneed to provide any \u201cbubble zones,\u201d areas where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/project-veritas-strips-cnn-naked\/\" title=\"Project Veritas Strips CNN Naked\">free speech<\/a> is\u200d restricted, until \u2063after the <em>Dobbs \u2064 <\/em>decision.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related SCOTUS Decision on Thin Ice<\/h2>\n<p>The ordinance is almost identical to a law upheld as constitutional \u200bin the 2000 Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/530\/703\/case.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">case<\/a> <em>Hill v. Colorado<\/em>. The <em>Hill <\/em>decision was authored by the late Justice John Paul Stevens but joined by five other justices, including supposedly conservative Chief\u200b Justice \u2064William Rehnquist \u2062and Justice Sandra Day O\u2019Connor. <\/p>\n<p>The <em>Hill <\/em>majority somehow found that it was not a violation of the First Amendment to prevent people from \u200d\u201cknowingly approaching\u201d people within 100 feet of an abortion facility \u201cfor the purpose\u200c of passing a leaflet or\u200c handbill to, displaying a\u2062 sign to, \u2063or engaging in oral\u200b protest, education, or counseling with such other person.\u201d The court in <em>Hill <\/em>reasoned that the ban <a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/530\/703\/case.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was<\/a> a content-neutral restriction that was \u201cnarrowly tailored\u201d to protect a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-state-supreme-court-throws-out-redistricting-map-over-gop-gerrymander\/\" title=\"NC State Supreme Court Throws Out Redistricting Map Over GOP Gerrymander\">legitimate government interest<\/a> because it prevented people who were entering abortion facilities \u200dfrom \u201cunwanted encounters,\u200c confrontations, or even assaults.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, <em>Hill <\/em>seems to \u2062be on shaky \u2063footing. The late Justice Antonin Scalia vehemently dissented from the <em>Hill <\/em>decision at the time, and the current court in <em>Dobbs <\/em>specifically \u2063mentioned that its previous abortion rulings, including <em>Hill<\/em>, had \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/21pdf\/19-1392_6j37.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">distorted<\/a> First Amendment doctrines.\u201d As Davis puts\u200d it, the ordinance is a \u201cclear content-based \u2063restriction on the face of the law,\u201d which is \u201ctotally antithetical to how the First Amendment works.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6753c21c4385c4ef9a082d01225c4022 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6753c21c4385c4ef9a082d01225c4022\"><\/div>\n<p><em>Vitagliano <\/em>is expressly asking \u2063the Supreme Court to overturn its decision in <em>Hill<\/em>, especially since now five sitting justices have cast doubt\u2064 on\u2064 <em>Hill\u2019s <\/em>reasoning. Davis expects the court to conference <em>Vitagliano<\/em> \u2062 sometime in October, and if the court agrees to \u200chear the case, it will be decided \u200bthis term.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps in response to\u200d this, the Westchester County Board of Legislators hastily <a href=\"https:\/\/westchestercountyny.legistar.com\/View.ashx?M=M&#038;ID=1114350&#038;GUID=50C91C89-B26B-48DC-9A04-14FA10359788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">convened<\/a> on Aug.\u2064 1 to discuss an amendment to the ordinance that would <a href=\"https:\/\/westchestercountyny.legistar.com\/View.ashx?M=PA&#038;ID=1114350&#038;GUID=50C91C89-B26B-48DC-9A04-14FA10359788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">remove<\/a> the eight-foot restriction because it is \u201cnot necessary\u201d and \u201cdifficult to \u200benforce.\u201d The Board of Legislators <a href=\"https:\/\/westchestercountyny.granicus.com\/player\/clip\/2137?view_id=1&#038;redirect=true&#038;h=24726242a23245eb31d85e154bffbef5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">met<\/a> \u200d on Aug. 7 to discuss the repeal, which it passed by a\u2063 vote of 13-3. However, even with the ordinance repealed, Vitagliano and her \u2064attorneys, including\u2063 her son,\u2063 Becket Constitutional Law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.becketlaw.org\/staff\/daniel-m-vitagliano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fellow<\/a> \u200d Daniel M. Vitagliano, are \u201cfull steam ahead,\u201d especially since people have already been prevented from speaking \u2064to women about alternatives to abortion in Westchester \u2063County for \u2063over a year.  <\/p>\n<p>As Davis put it, \u201cWhen \u200dyou\u2019re in\u200d public, people\u200c have the presumptive right to talk to you,\u201d and \u201copen and unfettered conversations take place\u201d on public sidewalks, like the one where Ms. Vitagliano hopes to peacefully engage with women who are facing\u200c an unwanted pregnancy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Westchester Is the Tip of the Iceberg<\/h2>\n<p>But Westchester County, New York, is\u200d not the only place where\u200d free speech in public places\u200d is under attack. The city of Carbondale, Illinois, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/in-depth\/news\/investigations\/2023\/06\/04\/carbondale-illinois-abortion-clinics\/70180040007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">established<\/a> itself as an \u201cabortion destination\u201d following the <em>Dobbs <\/em>decision, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/13\/pro-abortion-city-councils-sued-for-attempting-to-silence-pro-life-sidewalk-counselors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed<\/a> \u200d a similar ordinance in January 2023, and many other cities and \u2063counties throughout the United \u200dStates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tampabay.com\/news\/pinellas\/2023\/03\/03\/bread-and-roses-womens-health-center-city-council-hibbard\/;%20https:\/www.startribune.com\/minneapolis-city-council-considers-law-to-create-safety-zone-outside-abortion-clinics\/600223955\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/nirhealth.org\/resources\/meeting-the-moment-post-dobbs\/?emci=d9a705d0-d770-ed11-819c-000d3a9eb474&#038;emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&#038;ceid=7483344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">laws<\/a> preventing free speech near abortion facilities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0335631d538a70843079e36a7e840279 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0335631d538a70843079e36a7e840279\"><\/div>\n<p>These attacks on free speech are\u2063 not limited to the United States.\u200c Recent laws passed in the United Kingdom create a 150-meter buffer zone around abortion facilities that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/prosecutors-pull-u-turn-charge-army-vet-over-silent-prayer-within-abortion-clinic-buffer-zone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ban<\/a> even silent prayer. At least three people \u2063have been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/02\/14\/prayer-is-becoming-criminal-in-the-u-k\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged<\/a> under the U.K. law, \u2063all for silently \u2063praying.<\/p>\n<p>While the U.K. is heading in the wrong direction on free expression,\u200d Davis and the rest of Vitagliano\u2019s team hope her case will be a \u2062big step toward protecting the rights of peaceful\u200d sidewalk counselors\u2064 in public places.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-adb9cd33fab16aa99b96cf373226505b fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-adb9cd33fab16aa99b96cf373226505b\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On July 21, the plaintiff in Vitagliano v. Westchester County asked the Supreme Court to declare a county ordinance unconstitutional. The ordinance bans discussing abortion within 8 feet of someone without their consent, violating the First Amendment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1690,"featured_media":1995119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1995118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1995118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1995118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1995118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1995119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1995118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1995118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1995118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}