re pro abortion feminist leader endorses trashing of free speech rights in article c mmep n panix com gcf panix com gordon fitch writes dsh eceyv ncsu edu doug holtsinger writes arrested for defying judge s order at abortion protest rally the miami herald april circuit judge robert mcgregor s order prohibits anti abortion pickets within feet of the property line of aware woman center for choice even across the street they may not display pictures of dead fetuses or sing or chant loud enough to be heard by patients inside the clinic several years ago justice william o douglas who was about as libertarian as you can get about free speech and similar issues wrote a majority opinion in which the supreme court turned down an appeal by a group of people who had been prohibited from demonstrating in front of their landlord s home do you have a cite for the case you don t give enough information to be able to compare the two situations if the demonstrators had been blaring loud rock music into the landlord s home all day and night then i could see how the opinion would be justified but this court order had prohibited abortion protesters from displaying pictures of dead fetuses which doesn t disrupt the privacy of anyone inside the clinic he pointed out that people have a right to be free from speech perhaps in the privacy of their homes but not on public property did the korean grocery store owner in new york city have a right to be free from the speech of the protesters outside his store patrons inside the store could hear the protesters asking them to re consider shopping there how is that different from the abortion protesters asking women to re consider getting an abortion at a clinic harassment goes beyond expression to direct attack on particular persons in this case the workers and clients at a clinic its purpose is clearly not to convey information or express an opinion but to intimidate and do harm to other others even if the protesters speech could be considered harassment which it is not hate speech laws have generally been struck down by the courts i don t see how the words don t kill your baby or abortion is murder could be considered harassment anti abortionists have lost the battle for public opinion and the more psychopathic among them have turned to harassment arson bombing and murder to carry on their war there is no reason not to restrain them to protect the ordinary civil rights of everyone else some of the protesters were arrested for simply praying quietly on a public sidewalk yeah i could see how that might be equivalent to bombing and murder uh huh let us know when you get a grip on reality gordon fitch gcf panix com blg grn sta ny ny doug holtsinger
