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Hopeful Signs for Pro-Life Speech in Columbus, Ohio

By: Alexandra Snyder, originally published September 12, 2024, LifeLegal.org

Earlier this year, we told you about Alicia Healy, an African American pro-life stalwart in Columbus, Ohio.  With your invaluable help, we lent our support to Alicia’s federal lawsuit in response to egregious public actions against her free speech rights. 

The lawsuit has yet to be resolved, but the news on the case is good – better than pro-lifers typically expect.

Alicia was arrested on May 1, 2020, at the Planned Parenthood Surgical Center in Columbus.  In accordance with the practices recommended by her Christian church tradition, she had taken a “Jericho Walk” around the abortion business. 

At the close of her walk, she crossed an unmarked grassy lot that appeared to be public property.  Afterward, she was accosted first by a murder mill deathscort and then by Edward Chung, a uniformed officer of the Columbus Police Department acting as private security for Planned Parenthood. 

Unfortunately, this sort of thing is not an unusual side gig for off-duty cops. 

After a brief statement of cause – which was manifestly inaccurate – Chung grabbed Alicia’s arm and dragged her back onto the property.  Then he cuffed her and called on-duty officers.  Alicia was confined in a police cruiser but eventually released on site. 

Days later, Chung filed a complaint charging Alicia with criminal trespass.  She incurred legal expenses and had to appear in court on multiple occasions.  The damage to her reputation was used to undermine her 2020 campaign for Franklin County GOP Chairman.

But the case against Alicia was completely without merit, and prosecutors dismissed charges without trial.

From decades of experience, we can say that his pattern constitutes a common tactic of local law enforcement with ties to the child murder industry.  Though they know they can’t make charges stick, they nonetheless use them to intimidate activists.  When charges are dropped, they expect pro-lifers to go home suitably discouraged.

Instead, Alicia sued for violation of her constitutional rights. 

So far, the case has gone well for Alicia.  Depositions have been completed for Alicia and for her husband, for six pro-life witnesses, and for five representatives of the Columbus Police Department.

Witnesses for the City were forced to concede two important points:  

• First, that the grassy lot featured no sign or other warning that the lot was part of Planned Parenthood’s property; and… 
• Second, that Officer Chung had never been trained on an important principle of Ohio trespass law that protects Alicia’s walk across the open lot.

This second point may be huge.  Charging Alicia’s walk as criminal trespass would be excessive in any of these United States.  But Ohio law renders such a charge especially objectionable.  The City’s failure to inform Chung – and, apparently, all its sworn officers – of this reality may make the City especially liable for violating Alicia’s rights.

At any rate, it now seems unlikely that the Court will dismiss Alicia’s suit – which is what the City wants.  The evidence may even be sufficient for a court ruling before trial that Alicia’s First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated. 

We at Life Legal defend pro-lifers like Alicia because we believe in their constitutional rights – but also because we know that their public witness against the killing centers regularly saves lives from the abortion cult.

In Alicia’s case, we’re glad that we’re not only enabling her passive defense but also empowering her to strike back against those colluding with the abortion syndicate.  Following a favorable outcome, Ohio attorney Tom Condit may even be able to get Planned Parenthood reattached to the judgment.  That’ll be an extra victory for Alicia – and for babies waiting to be born. 

• Please pray that the encouraging course of this litigation will continue! 
• Please pray that Alicia will secure some measure of justice for the abuse of law imposed upon her!
• Please pray for Life Legal’s defense of pro-life activists such as Alicia from coast to coast! 

Alexandra Snyder is the CEO of Life Legal Defense Foundation. She handles a wide array of legislative and policy matters, including pro-life issues, bioethics, and the protection of human rights.