Colorado pro-life advocate appeals clinic buffer zone law

Wendy Faustin, a pro-life sidewalk counselor, is appealing a federal ruling regarding Colorado’s “bubble law.” The state statute and a Denver municipal ordinance prohibit individuals from approaching within eight feet of another person without consent to distribute literature or engage in counseling within 100 feet of a healthcare facility entrance, including abortion clinics.

Faustin argues that these restrictions prevent her from having private, compassionate conversations with women regarding pregnancy resource centers and adoption agencies. She contends that being forced to speak from a distance may allow others to overhear sensitive information. Violations of these laws are classified as petty offenses, which can result in fines or short jail sentences.

The case is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit following a federal judge's rejection of her challenge last July. The U.S. Supreme Court previously upheld the constitutionality of Colorado’s 1993 law in the 2000 decision Hill v. Colorado, ruling that the restrictions did not violate the First Amendment.