|
|
Article: CLINIC PROTEST RULING HAS LITTLE IMPACT.(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- Article date:
- March 6, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last week doesn't constitute an ideological judgment on a woman's right to choose.
Instead the court offered a relatively dry, technical reading based on what crimes do or do not trigger the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
It came down to whether abortion protesters had committed the crime of extortion or coercion. The RICO sanctions, which include up to 20 years in prison for criminal violations and up to treble damages in civil penalties, are applicable only to crimes that violate the 1951 Hobbs Act. That act, the 8-1 majority ruled, only included extortion while omitting coercion and clearly ...