A teenage girl walks out of high school, unaware that just days earlier, another girl her age ended her pregnancy—without ever hearing the truth about abortion or knowing she had another choice.
Don Blythe wants to change that.
He peacefully stands outside public schools with one purpose: to offer students a life-affirming message they may never hear elsewhere.
But the City of San Diego is determined to shut him down.
Under San Diego’s newly expanded “buffer zone” ordinance, pro-life advocates like Don are being silenced. The law imposes unconstitutional restrictions on speech within 100 feet of schools, churches, and medical facilities. It forces advocates to get consent before they can even speak to someone or offer a life-affirming leaflet.
The city says it’s protecting students from “unwanted communication.” But what it’s really doing is shutting down peaceful speech in the very places where the truth about abortion is most needed to save lives.
This week in federal court, Life Legal’s Chief Counsel, Katie Short, defended Don’s First Amendment rights—and the rights of every pro-life advocate to speak the truth in the public square. “Kids take sides and they have opinions on public concerns, but that’s not a reason to restrict free speech rights,” Short said. “The city has no evidence of any problems outside schools.”
Don doesn’t yell. He doesn’t follow or intimidate. He offers a flyer—nothing more. If a student declines, he moves on. The City provided no proof of disruption—just a desire to suppress the pro-life message.
This is a dangerous precedent. If San Diego succeeds, cities across the nation will be emboldened to silence peaceful pro-life advocates under the guise of “safety” and “sensitivity.”
We can’t let that happen.
Image source: Live Action