Sidewalk counseling
Encyclopedia
Sidewalk counseling is a form of pro-life
activism which is conducted outside of abortion clinic
s. Activists seek to communicate with those entering the building, or with passersby in general, in an effort to persuade them not to have an abortion
or to reconsider their position on the morality of abortion
. They do so by trying to engage in conversation, displaying signs, distributing literature
, and/or giving directions to a nearby crisis pregnancy center
.
Some pro-life organizations offer programs designed to train people in such activism. The American Life League
publishes "The Sidewalk Counselor's Guidebook" on its web site.
The "Chicago Method" is an approach to sidewalk counseling that involves giving those about to enter an abortion facility copies of lawsuit
s filed against the facility or its physician
s. The name comes from the fact that it was first used by Pro-Life Action League
in Chicago
. Brochures summarizing the lawsuits, scandals, or negative findings of inspection reports can also be used. The intent of the Chicago Method is to dissuade women from obtaining abortion services at the facility.
have "buffer zone
" laws which limit how close to a clinic protesters can approach. In the 1997 court case
, Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
, pro-life activist Paul Schenck
challenged a U.S. district court
injunction
which restricted demonstrations to within 15-feet of four abortion clinics in New York
state. The case came before the Supreme Court
, where Justices ruled 8-1 to uphold the constitutionality of a "fixed buffer zone" (the area around the clinic itself), but not that of a "floating buffer zone" (the area around objects in transit such as cars or people).
In 1995, the Access to Abortion Services Act
was passed in British Columbia
, Canada
. It defines "sidewalk interference" as any attempt at "advising or persuading, or attempting to advise or persuade, a person to refrain from making use of abortion services," or "informing or attempting to inform a person concerning issues related to abortion services. It prevents such activities from being carried out within up to 50 metres of an abortion-providing facility.
Pro-choice
groups have criticized the practice of sidewalk counseling as harassment
. Pro-life advocates in the U.S. maintain that it is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment
of the United States Constitution
.
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activism which is conducted outside of abortion clinic
Abortion clinic
An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....
s. Activists seek to communicate with those entering the building, or with passersby in general, in an effort to persuade them not to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
or to reconsider their position on the morality of abortion
Abortion debate
The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement and the "pro-life" movement...
. They do so by trying to engage in conversation, displaying signs, distributing literature
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
, and/or giving directions to a nearby crisis pregnancy center
Crisis pregnancy center
A crisis pregnancy center , sometimes called a pregnancy resource center , is a non-profit organization established to counsel pregnant women against having an abortion....
.
Some pro-life organizations offer programs designed to train people in such activism. The American Life League
American Life League
The American Life League is one of the largest pro-life organizations in the United States. The organization opposes abortion under any circumstance, contraception, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia...
publishes "The Sidewalk Counselor's Guidebook" on its web site.
The "Chicago Method" is an approach to sidewalk counseling that involves giving those about to enter an abortion facility copies of lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s filed against the facility or its physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s. The name comes from the fact that it was first used by Pro-Life Action League
Pro-Life Action League
The Pro-Life Action League is an American pro-life organization founded by Joseph M. Scheidler in Chicago in 1980. It describes its type of activism as "non-violent direct action".It was prominently involved in the NOW v. Scheidler 2006 Supreme Court decision....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Brochures summarizing the lawsuits, scandals, or negative findings of inspection reports can also be used. The intent of the Chicago Method is to dissuade women from obtaining abortion services at the facility.
Legal restrictions
Several jurisdictions in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have "buffer zone
Legal protection of access to abortion
Governments sometimes take measures designed to afford legal protection of access to abortion. Such legislation often seeks to guard facilities which provide induced abortion against obstruction, vandalism, picketing, and other actions, or to protect patients and employees of such facilities from...
" laws which limit how close to a clinic protesters can approach. In the 1997 court case
Legal case
A legal case is a dispute between opposing parties resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case may be either civil or criminal...
, Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York, 519 U.S. 357 , was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court. It ruled in an 8-1 decision that speech-free "buffer zones" around abortion clinics were constitutional...
, pro-life activist Paul Schenck
Paul Schenck
Paul Chaim Benedicta Schenck is an ordained Catholic priest who is a pro-life activist along with his twin brother, Robert Schenck...
challenged a U.S. district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
which restricted demonstrations to within 15-feet of four abortion clinics in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. The case came before the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, where Justices ruled 8-1 to uphold the constitutionality of a "fixed buffer zone" (the area around the clinic itself), but not that of a "floating buffer zone" (the area around objects in transit such as cars or people).
In 1995, the Access to Abortion Services Act
Access to Abortion Services Act
The Access to Abortion Services Act is a law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Enacted in September 1995, it protects access to abortion services by limiting demonstrations outside of abortion clinics, doctor's offices, and doctor's homes...
was passed in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It defines "sidewalk interference" as any attempt at "advising or persuading, or attempting to advise or persuade, a person to refrain from making use of abortion services," or "informing or attempting to inform a person concerning issues related to abortion services. It prevents such activities from being carried out within up to 50 metres of an abortion-providing facility.
Pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
groups have criticized the practice of sidewalk counseling as harassment
Harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
. Pro-life advocates in the U.S. maintain that it is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
of the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
.
See also
- AbortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
- Abortion debateAbortion debateThe abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement and the "pro-life" movement...
- Access to Abortion Services ActAccess to Abortion Services ActThe Access to Abortion Services Act is a law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Enacted in September 1995, it protects access to abortion services by limiting demonstrations outside of abortion clinics, doctor's offices, and doctor's homes...
- Pro-life activism
- Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances ActFreedom of Access to Clinic Entrances ActThe Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act is a United States law that was signed by President Bill Clinton in May of 1994, which prohibits the following three things: the use of physical force, threat of physical force, or physical obstruction to intentionally injure, intimidate, interfere...
- Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New YorkSchenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New YorkSchenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York, 519 U.S. 357 , was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court. It ruled in an 8-1 decision that speech-free "buffer zones" around abortion clinics were constitutional...