Sidewalk counseling

"Sidewalk counseling" is a form of pro-life activism which is conducted outside of abortion clinics. Activists seek to communicate with those entering the building, or with passersby in general, in an effort to persuade them not to have an abortion or to reconsider their position on the morality of abortion. They do so by trying to engage in conversation, displaying signs, distributing literature, and/or giving directions to a nearby crisis pregnancy center.

Some pro-life organizations offer programs designed to train people in such activism. The American Life League publishes "The Sidewalk Counselor's Guidebook" on its web site.

The "Chicago Method" is an approach to sidewalk counseling that involves giving those about to enter an abortion facility copies of lawsuits filed against the facility or its physicians. The name comes from the fact that it was first used by Pro-Life Action League in Chicago. Brochures summarizing the lawsuits, scandals, or negative findings of inspection reports can also be used. The intent of the Chicago Method is to turn the woman away from a facility which the protesters deem unsafe, thus giving her time to reconsider her choice to abort.

Legal restrictions
Several jurisdictions in the United States have "buffer zone" laws which limit how close to a clinic protesters can approach. In the 1997 court case, Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York, pro-life activist Paul Schenck challenged a U.S. destrict court injunction which restricted demonstrations to within 15-feet of four abortion clinics in New York state. The case came before the Supreme Court, where Justices ruled 8-1 to uphold the constitutionality of a "fixed buffer zone" (the area around the clinic itself), but not that of a "floating buffer zone" (the area around objects in transit such a cars or people).

In 1995, the Access to Abortion Services Act was passed in British Columbia, Canada. It defines "sidewalk interference" as any attempt at "advising or persuading, or attempting to advise or persuade, a person to refrain from making use of abortion services," or "informing or attempting to inform a person concerning issues related to abortion services. It prevents such activities from being carried out within up to 50 metres of an abortion-providing facility.

Pro-choice groups have criticized the practice of sidewalk counseling as harassment. Pro-life advocates in the U.S. maintain that it is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.