The following came from a June 20 press release from the Life Legal Defense Foundation. 

Police cited a sidewalk counselor engaged in peaceful educational activities for failure to yield to a motor vehicle. Life Legal Defense Foundation’s review of the incident revealed that the sidewalk counselor actually had the right-of-way under the law.

Unfortunately, pro-life activists in San Marcos, like those in many other cities, have undergone harassment at the hands of law enforcement who do not view their message favorably.

Life Legal’s senior staff attorney Allison Aranda represented the pro-life advocate, and pointed out to the judge that she had the right-of-way under the law. The baseless citation was dismissed, and the sidewalk counselor is now free once again to share the message of life on the public sidewalk.

“Unfortunately we have seen this type of baseless citation used as a favorite weapon with the pro-abortion crowd,” comments Dana Cody, Life Legal’s president and executive director.

“But we are ready to stand up and represent these champions for the unborn, and in this case rejoice that it was as simple as the proper application of the traffic code.”

 

READER COMMENTS

Posted Monday, June 25, 2012 3:53 AM By Thomas Edward Miles
Wonderful news, the folks are doing great work to protect life from conception to natural death!! Abortion is murder, it is that simple!! I learned that fact in Biology 101. In this area the church is doing great works!!!

Posted Monday, June 25, 2012 5:47 AM By JMJ
This should not be dropped and the police offficer should be forced into learning the traffic codes once again, at his own expense; plus be forced to pay for the expenses that he caused. +JMJ+

Posted Monday, June 25, 2012 7:22 AM By Vanessa
I am a sidewalk counselor and have had the same response from the guards at Planned Parenthood as I educate women and men about abortion. Allison points out that the driver is choosing to stop and talk with us and if they pause to chat with us and another car pulls behind, the responsibility to supposedly not block traffic, is on the driver of the car and not the counselor. I always acknowledge to the driver if another car pulls into the driveway behind the car that I am chatting with the driver, I encourage my driver to circle the driveway and come out and we will continue to chat…It is the decision of the DRIVER and not the Counselor what he does with his car. This is my understanding from Allison when I asked her to clarify as the guards at PP were trying to intimidate us with threats of calling the police because we were supposedly “impeding traffic flow”