Colorado pro-life counselor fights state “bubble law” restricting clinic outreach
Wendy Faustin, a sidewalk counselor who offers pregnancy-resource information outside abortion clinics, is appealing a Colorado law that bars her from approaching anyone within eight feet inside a 100-foot zone.
Colorado resident Wendy Faustin, who distributes information about adoption agencies and crisis-pregnancy centers outside abortion clinics, is contesting a state statute that prohibits anyone from approaching within eight feet of a person inside a 100-foot perimeter of a health-care facility. She says the rule turns compassionate counseling into a legal risk and forces her to speak from a distance, potentially exposing private discussions.
After a federal judge rejected her lawsuit last July, the appeal moved to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Her lawyer, Roger Byron of the First Liberty Institute, contends the law creates a privileged class of speech and would be struck down if applied to anti-war or labor protests. The Supreme Court’s 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado upheld the restrictions. The Colorado attorney general’s office offered no comment beyond its court filings.
Why it matters
The case could reshape how free-speech rights apply to protest activities near health-care facilities.
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