Anti-Abortion Activists Claim Right to 'Shout' at, 'Approach' Patients in Lawsuit [View all]

Anti-abortion activists in Jackson claim in a new lawsuit that they have a "right" to "congregate," "shout" and approach patients outside the abortion clinic in Fondren "without first obtaining their consent."

The Mississippi Justice Institute, a conservative legal organization, and members of the local Sidewalk Advocates for Life organization announced the lawsuit on Monday after filing it in Hinds County Circuit Court on Oct. 11.

The Jackson City Council passed an ordinance on Oct. 1 that creates a buffer zone around health-care facilities in the city, effective at the end of this month. It requires demonstrators to stand at least 15 feet away from clinic properties like the Jackson Women's Health Organization—the last abortion clinic in the state, which draws dozens and sometimes hundreds of anti-abortion activists daily.

"Our clients are engaging in quintessential free speech, and they are doing so peacefully and respectfully," MJI Director Aaron Rice said in a press statement. "They care deeply for the unborn and feel morally led to offer life-affirming alternatives to people entering an abortion facility. Jackson's new ordinance is an attempt to silence our clients' speech, and we are proud to stand with them and defend their rights."

Read more: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/oct/15/anti-abortion-activists-claim-right-shout-approach/

Pardon me, but if an activist is shouting to someone, harassing someone, or blocking an entrance, then the activist isn't being respectful.