Woman's Pro-Life Group Seek Access to County Community Room

August  21, 2003

Mathew D. Staver

WOMEN'S GROUP DENIED ACCESS TO COUNTY COMMUNITY ROOM ASKS JUDGE FOR IMMEDIATE ORDER ALLOWING ACCESS TO THE ROOM

WESTCHESTER, NY - Today, Regina Riely on behalf of herself and a women's pro-life group, filed suit asking a federal judge to issue an immediate Temporary Restraining Order to allow her access to a community room in the Westchester County Board of Legislators' building. Ms. Riely is represented by Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel and by Joel Oster, Litigation Counsel for Liberty Counsel.

The Westchester County Board of Legislators allows use of its facilities, including the legislative chambers, by outside groups. In the past, those facilities have been used by the AFL-CIO Central Labor Body, the Westchester Arts Council, the Westchester Irish Committee, Women of Westchester, National Organization of Women, and the Westchester Coalition for Legalized Abortion for various events. The rooms are highly sought after for use by private groups, including group meetings, rallies, public demonstrations, and award celebrations. As one legislator explained in a letter to Ms. Riely, in the past groups were allowed to use the facilities without regard to the group's position on public issues.

Regina Riely approached the Board in June asking for permission to hold an event on August 26, 2003, honoring a pro-life female doctor from the community. Ms. Riely was initially told that she could use the facilities, but when a legislator presented her request to the Board, she was denied with no reason given. Ms. Riely appeared at the next Board meeting and repeated her request to use the facilities, yet the Board continued to deny her. The Board suddenly announced that in order to use the facilities, a legislator must ask for use of the room on her behalf and that there must be some connection between the event and activities at the Board. Even though Ms. Riely complied with this policy, the Board still denied her request. Ms. Riely appeared at the following Board meeting and again requested use of the facilities. The Board tabled indefinitely the request in a subcommittee and announced a change to their policy - in order to use the facilities a legislator must sponsor and attend the event. Ms. Riely was told after the August 11 Board meeting that if she wanted to use the facilities for a pro-life event that she needed "to vote in pro-life legislators at the next election."

Ms. Riely is requesting the federal court to issue an emergency temporary restraining order giving her access to the facilities so that the event can be held on August 26 as planned. Ms. Riely is also requesting that the Board's Policy of allowing use of the facilities only to groups it approves be found unconstitutional.

Mat Staver stated, "When the government opens up its facilities for use by the public, it is constitutionally mandated to treat all people equally without regard to their political or pro-life viewpoints."


MAT STAVER TO APPEAR ON CNN - LIVE FROM THE HEADLINES with ANDERSON COOPER TODAY BETWEEN 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM. THE CASE INVOLVES APPOINTMENT OF A GUARDIAN ON BEHALF OF AN UNBORN CHILD

Liberty Counsel is arguing before an appeals court in Florida today requesting the reversal of a lower court decision refusing to appoint a guardian on behalf of an unborn, viable, baby of an incompetent mother. Although in her 20's the mother has a mental capacity of a toddler. We are urging the court to hold that when an incompetent pregnant woman reaches the point of viability, the court should automatically appoint a guardian on behalf of that baby. The guardian would serve a two-fold purpose: it would represent the interests of the unborn baby, which is of utmost necessity where the mother's guardian requests permission to abort the baby, and the guardian would represent the state's interest in preserving the life inside the mother. Absent the appointment of a guardian to represent the unborn baby, a court could order an abortion and there would be no one to ensure compliance with the law or to appeal that life-taking decision.

Mathew D. Staver, Esq.
Liberty Counsel
http://www.lc.org.

An Ally of the Alliance Defense Fund