Minneapolis recently revised a local ordinance following a legal challenge by anti-abortion activists who argued it infringed on free speech rights. The City Council quietly updated the ordinance this month to exclude constitutionally protected activities and agreed to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees. Brian Gibson, CEO of Pro-Life Action Ministries, stated in an interview that the city’s actions amounted to an acknowledgment of violating freedom of speech rights. The organization sends “sidewalk counselors” to Planned Parenthood clinics in the area in an effort to discourage abortions. The original ordinance, enacted in 2022, aimed to protect patients of a Planned Parenthood clinic in the Uptown neighborhood from approaching group members. While Gibson claimed they never obstructed entrances, their approach involved engaging individuals as they arrived in their vehicles.
Minneapolis was the sole city in the state with such a regulation. Pro-Life Action Ministries sought to challenge and overturn the ordinance to prevent a similar one from being implemented in St. Paul. The lawsuit ended in favor of the plaintiffs, with the final judgement filed in federal court. The City Council unanimously exempted individuals or groups engaging in constitutionally protected conduct, while still prohibiting the physical blocking of clinic entrances.
The council’s vice president, Aisha Chughtai, emphasized the importance of ensuring access to healthcare services, including abortions, while also upholding First Amendment rights. While Chughtai did not immediately provide additional comments, a statement from the city attorney’s office echoed her sentiments.
Peter Breen, head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, representing the plaintiffs, hailed the revisions to the ordinance as a victory for free speech advocates. Planned Parenthood North Central States, not a party to the lawsuit, expressed no comments on the matter.
After the revision, it was noted that patients are still being shielded from any potential obstruction of the driveway or sidewalk by individuals. Breen mentioned plans to file a bill for attorney’s fees soon, with a rough estimate of around $600,000. The Thomas More Society, along with affiliated groups, is actively engaged in legal battles across the country to challenge similar restrictions. Breen disclosed that they have sought intervention from a federal appeals court to halt a comparable ordinance in Clearwater, Florida. Furthermore, they are resisting analogous measures in Westchester County, New York, San Diego, and Detroit.
Their efforts have also extended to petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a challenge to an ordinance in Carbondale, Illinois. While the Supreme Court had previously upheld a Colorado buffer zone requirement in the Hill v. Colorado case back in 2000, Breen pointed out that in the recent Dobbs decision, which revoked the constitutional right to abortion, the high court criticized the Hill ruling by stating that its prior abortion-related decisions had “distorted First Amendment doctrines.”
Gibson shared that their group has encountered instances where they have successfully persuaded individuals arriving at Minnesota clinics to reconsider their decision to undergo an abortion. He mentioned that they assemble outside the St. Paul clinic almost daily, including Sundays when it is closed, solely for the purpose of prayer. Gibson recounted a recent triumph when they returned to the Minneapolis clinic and engaged with a woman parked on the street. “We had a baby saved,” he proudly stated, noting that the woman had opted out of her abortion appointment.
