August 16, 2024
“Students for Life of America supports Coalition Life’s right to lovingly share information with pregnant mothers, without enduring weaponized government attacks. Suppressing the First Amendment free speech rights of pro-life Americans should be clearly understood as unconstitutional,” said Students for Life of America Vice President of Media and Policy Kristi Hamrick. “Viewpoint discrimination is un-American.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (08-16-2024) – Students for Life of America (SFLA) submitted an amicus brief in Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Coalition Life’s petition for writ of certiorari to protect free speech rights for peaceful sidewalk advocates in Carbondale, Illinois. The case has significant implications for every pro-life American who practices their free speech rights when they speak to pregnant women entering abortion facilities or hand out Pregnancy Help Center (PHC) informational brochures to those who want to learn more about the services available for their family.
“In 2023, Carbondale, Illinois, enacted a ‘bubble zone’ law designed to silence pro-life voices on public sidewalks,” Coalition Life said in a press statement. “This ordinance is similar to the one upheld in Hill v. Colorado, a decision that has been a thorn in our side for years. Our appeal to the Supreme Court is about reclaiming our constitutional right to free speech and ensuring that we can continue our mission of supporting women in their hour of need.”
These “bubble zones,” commonly referred to as buffer zones, are inherently unconstitutional, where some speech is allowed, but pro-life speech is not.
From SFLA’s amicus brief regarding unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination:
“The Carbondale ordinance is an unconstitutional exercise in viewpoint discrimination. If a panhandler, a pollster, or a passerby who asks for the time can speak, but the sidewalk counselor cannot, the ordinance favors some viewpoints over others, which is constitutionally impermissible … The Carbondale ordinance singles out speech that might oppose abortion. Carbondale cannot constitutionally silence some viewpoints and allow others.”
Regarding SFLA’s free speech impact on pregnant women:
“The experience of Students for Life is consistent with the petitioners in McCullen … In 2022-23, through its work, Students for Life can document thirty-three instances in which a mother considering abortion chose instead to bear the child due to the influence and support of Students for Life, and it can point to dozens of mothers assisted with childcare, financial assistance, legal help, and parenting supplies.
The experience of the McCullen Petitioners and Students for Life show that the Hill Court’s assumptions regarding unwilling listeners are overstated. Carbondale should not be permitted to infringe on Petitioner’s First Amendment rights to protect the interest of putative unwilling listeners.”
To read a previous amicus curiae brief in Debra A. Vitagliano v. County Of Westchester, New York, click HERE.
To learn more about free speech on campus, read a Daily Wire op-ed by two SFLA students entitled “Is Speech On Campus Really Free? How Pro-Life Views Are Stifled By Universities.”
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The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) is an umbrella organization encompassing the most-cutting edge engagement opportunities for a Vote Pro-Life First Community. PLG includes Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), that together make up the nation’s largest, pro-life youth organization, managing a grassroots political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, PLG/SFLA/SFLAction serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. Our team has more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. In addition to SFLA/SFLAction, PLG leads multiple initiatives to lead and serve the future of the pro-life movement including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, Standing With You, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement . Over more than 17 years, PLG CEO Kristan Hawkins has grown the operation into a nearly $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.
