Court sides with anti-abortion protester fined for pamphlets

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – An Alabama appeals court has ruled that an anti-abortion protester shouldn’t have been ticketed $250 for handing out pamphlets outside an abortion clinic.

Al.com reports the court ruled Friday that Ellen Haverman Hermann was exempted from needing a permit as she was conducting a “minor” demonstration. Tuscaloosa city code defines minor demonstrations as those that are at least 10 feet (3 metres) from a major road and are attended by fewer than 20 people.

Court records say Hermann was protesting outside the clinic off Jack Warner Parkway in May 2017 when police received a report that she was stopping traffic. They say a responding officer found Hermann wasn’t impeding vehicles, but she ticketed her for not having a permit. The ticket was upheld upon initial appeal.

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Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews