CNA Staff, Nov 18, 2020 / 19:01 pm
A law that curtailed pro-life outreach at the last abortion clinic in Mississippi has been repealed by the city of Jackson, leading to the dismissal of a legal challenge against the ordinance.
"This is a major victory for free speech for Jackson and the state of Mississippi," Aaron Rice, director of the Mississippi Justice Institute, told the NBC affiliate WLBT.
The ordinance, adopted in October 2019, prohibited protesters from approaching within eight feet of another person, unless that person consents, for the purpose of handing a leaflet, displaying a sign, engaging in oral protest, or educating or counseling a person within 100 feet of a healthcare facility.
The ordinance also prohibited congregations or demonstrations within 15 feet of a healthcare facility entrance, as well as shouting and amplified sound with 100 feet as long as the area is marked as a "quiet zone."