Consistent Life News
Issue #6
Summer 2006
Online Edition

Print Edition
(PDF format)

Supreme Court Agrees with CL
on Right to Protest

In February the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Scheidler v. National Organization of Women that Federal laws against racketeering and extortion can not be used to prevent demonstrations against abortions. It was the third time the Court had ruled on the case, which NOW initiated in 1986.

Consistent Life has organized a number of national organizations and peace and justice leaders to sign an amicus brief to the Court each time. On this third trip to the Court, two major labor unions also signed on to the Consistent Life brief.

Groups which are not necessarily pro-life on abortion joined the brief because they could see that any group demonstrating for a cause would potentially be at risk if protest actions were treated as if they were racketeering and extortion. Because Consistent Life stands for six major life issues not only for the lives of the unborn, it was particularly well placed to bring a diverse coalition of groups together to urge the Court to protect the rights of Americans to express their views on any cause in public demonstrations.

With regard to filing our amicus brief this last time, Consistent Life Board member Carol Crossed, who has spearheaded our efforts in this case, said, “Enough is enough. Why drag this on and on at enormous cost to people who have the courage to dissent?” Apparently the Court agreed with her.