Pro-Lifers Sue City

Protest permit policy unconstitutional, they say
Four anti-abortion advocates who protest and pray outside abortion clinics are suing the city of Fort Myers, claiming the city's policy on public gatherings is unconstitutional. Judith C. Minahan and John Vetter of Lee County and Edward C. Melone and Marilyn Melone of Collier County filed the suit Nov. 9 in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers. The suit claims the city's permit policy for public demonstrations is illegal because it violates the protesters' freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to exercise their religion and freedom of the press. The protesters are being represented by attorney Edward L. White III of the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm that's based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is dedicated to defending the religious rights of Christians.

Fort Myers Sued For Restricting Pro-Life Speech
Thomas More Law Center
ANN ARBOR, MI -- The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Fort Myers, Florida, and several of its officials for policies and practices curtailing the free speech rights of pro-life sidewalk counselors to pray and handout pro-life informational literature. The Law Center filed suit on behalf of Judith Minahan, Edward and Marilyn Melone, and John Vetter, all of whom are Christians motivated by their faith to expose the evils of abortion. They seek to pray on the public sidewalk outside a Fort Myers abortion clinic and counsel expectant mothers in a non-confrontational manner to find alternatives to abortion. The City of Fort Myers and its officials, however, require pro-life advocates to obtain a permit before more than two of them may engage in such activity. They are also prohibited from approaching people and distributing informational literature. As a result, if three pro-life advocates pray on the public sidewalk without a permit and hand out literature, they are subject to arrest. Posted by Editor at November 16, 2004 08:23 PM