Anti-Abortion Advocates Sue Detroit Over Clinic Buffer Zones

March 19, 2026, 3:25 PM UTC

Anti-abortion advocates are challenging the city of Detroit’s ordinance creating 15-foot buffer zones near health care facility entrances and eight-foot zones around patients.

The ordinance, which the Detroit City Council passed in 2024, violates the First Amendment rights of those who try to approach women outside abortion clinic, said a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs want preliminary and permanent orders to bar its enforcement.

The suit was filed by Texas nonprofit Sidewalk Advocates for Life and one of its members, retired attorney Kevin Hammer, who holds up a sign ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

See Breaking News in Context

Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.