{"id":33236,"date":"2026-10-28T11:21:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T15:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=33236"},"modified":"2026-10-28T11:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T15:21:51","slug":"colorado-pro-life-counselor-fights-law-restricting-conversations-outside-abortion-clinics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/10\/colorado-pro-life-counselor-fights-law-restricting-conversations-outside-abortion-clinics","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Pro-Life Counselor Fights Law Restricting Conversations Outside Abortion Clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
wolterke \/ stock.adobe.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Colorado woman who offers pregnant women alternatives to abortion is challenging a state law she says blocks her from having quiet, personal conversations with people who may need help.<\/p>\n

Wendy Faustin, a pro-life sidewalk counselor, is challenging Colorado\u2019s so-called \u201cbubble law,\u201d which limits how closely people can approach others outside abortion clinics and other health care facilities. She says the law violates her First Amendment rights and makes it difficult to offer women information about pregnancy resource centers, adoption agencies and other available support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re within 100 feet of the entrance to an abortion clinic, I can\u2019t approach someone within 8 feet to give them any alternative information,\u201d Faustin told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

Under Colorado law and a similar Denver ordinance, individuals may not knowingly approach within eight feet of another person without consent to distribute literature, protest, educate or counsel within 100 feet of a health care facility entrance.<\/p>\n

Violations can result in fines or potentially a short jail sentence.<\/p>\n

Faustin says the restrictions make it harder to have the private, compassionate conversations she believes women facing unplanned pregnancies deserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would rather be able to just walk up to somebody, offer them alternative information, places where they can get help,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

For Faustin, the issue goes beyond simply handing someone a pamphlet. She believes women considering abortion should know about the resources available to them, especially when financial struggles, difficult relationships or other circumstances leave them feeling they have few options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that every woman who is facing this decision deserves to have all the possible information that she might need,\u201d Faustin said.<\/p>\n

She added that some women may feel \u201cbacked into a corner\u201d and may not realize that pregnancy centers and adoption agencies can offer assistance.<\/p>\n

Her legal challenge comes more than two decades after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Colorado\u2019s law in its 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado<\/em>. The justices ruled that the restrictions did not violate the First Amendment.<\/p>\n

Supporters of such restrictions argue that they protect patients from unwanted approaches while allowing demonstrators and counselors to communicate from a distance.<\/p>\n

Faustin and her attorneys, however, argue the law places an unfair burden on peaceful conversations.<\/p>\n

Roger Byron, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, which represents Faustin, argues that the case raises broader questions about free speech protections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese laws literally make it a crime for Wendy to approach within 8 feet of a woman,\u201d Byron told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

He argued that similar restrictions on other forms of public advocacy, including labor demonstrations and anti-war protests, would face serious constitutional challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s at stake is the free speech rights of anyone whose message is something other than what the government wants it to be,\u201d Byron said.<\/p>\n

A federal judge rejected Faustin\u2019s challenge in July 2025, and the case is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.<\/p>\n

The outcome could affect how states balance free speech rights with protections for patients entering medical facilities.<\/p>\n

Byron believes the legal fight may ultimately reach the nation\u2019s highest court, underscoring how significant the case could become.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect either way, this case is going to end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Colorado woman who offers pregnant women alternatives to abortion is challenging a state law she says blocks her from having quiet, personal conversations with people who may need help. Wendy Faustin, a pro-life sidewalk counselor, is challenging Colorado\u2019s so-called \u201cbubble law,\u201d which limits how closely people can approach others outside abortion clinics and other…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":33257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nColorado Pro-Life Counselor Fights Law Restricting Conversations Outside Abortion Clinics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A CO pro-life counselor challenges restrictions on conversations outside abortion clinics, arguing the law violates her free speech rights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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