Associated Press: Jilted ex-boyfriend puts up abortion billboard
The Associated Press reports on a case in New Mexico concerning privacy and free speech questions:
A New Mexico man’s decision to lash out with a billboard ad saying his ex-girlfriend had an abortion against his wishes has touched off a legal debate over free speech and privacy rights.
The sign on Alamogordo’s main thoroughfare shows 35-year-old Greg Fultz holding the outline of an infant. The text reads, “This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!”
Fultz’s ex-girlfriend has taken him to court for harassment and violation of privacy. A domestic court official has recommended the billboard be removed.
But Fultz’s attorney argues the order violates his client’s free speech rights. [...]
The woman’s friends say she had a miscarriage, not an abortion, according to a report in the Albuquerque Journal. [...]
The woman’s lawyer said she had not discussed the pregnancy with her client. But for Ellen Jessen, whether her client had a miscarriage or an abortion is not the point. The central issue is her client’s privacy and the fact that the billboard has caused severe emotional distress, Jessen said. [...]
Holmes says he is going to fight the order to remove the billboard through a District Court appeal.
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