A New York federal judge ruled that a group of pro-life advocates didn’t harass women as they arrived at a clinic to abort, following a harassment lawsuit brought against them by former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon issued a ruling late Friday in the Eastern District of New York, denying a request for an injunction by the state in People v. Griepp et al, according to The New York Times Sunday.
The ruling comes after Schneiderman filed a lawsuit in June 2017 alleging that a group of pro-life sidewalk counselors had harassed and threatened women entering Choices Medical Clinic abortion facility in Jamaica, Queens, New York. (RELATED: New York’s AG Uses Below-The-Belt-Measures On Pro-Lifers So He’d Win His Case)
The ruling also follows testimony in February that Schneiderman used a witness to spy on pro-lifers. The witness testified she had used someone else’s photo, listed her occupation as a bank teller, created a fake residency and posted about the weather there to gain credibility. The witness also allegedly accessed hundreds of pro-life activists’ personal information around the country and gave the data to Schneiderman’s office, according to The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC).
“The case was an abuse of the rights of peaceful New York citizens, whose rights Mr. Schneiderman had a duty to protect, not attack,” Thomas More Society attorneys said in a press release, praising the judge’s decision.
A number of pro-lifers have faced arrest and punishment after advocating for life outside abortion clinics. A 66-year-old woman was acquitted in March after she was arrested while advocating for life outside an Alabama abortion clinic.
Numerous states have also passed “bubble laws” banning pro-life activists from coming within a certain distance from abortion clinics.
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