FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2000

Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
 
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (CO-1) issued the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Hill v. Colorado, a law she authored while serving in the Colorado State House. The Supreme Court upheld the law in a 6-3 decision.

“The Supreme Court upheld Colorado’s landmark law and we scored a tremendous victory for patients’ rights today,” said Rep. DeGette. “The court affirmed what Colorado has long embraced – that our citizens have a right to medical treatment without the fear of being harassed or intimidated.”

“I worked hard with many of my colleagues in the State House and Senate to craft balanced legislation that protects freedom of speech, while ensuring patient protections. This law can now serve as a model for other states across the country, and I am very proud of what we have achieved for all patients,” added Rep. DeGette.

The Colorado law establishes a zone around the entrance of any health care facility, where individuals may not approach someone without their consent. Within this area, the law creates an eight-foot zone or “bubble” around an individual in which someone cannot knowingly approach another person for the purposes of engaging in unwanted debate, argument or passing out of literature.

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on the case last January. The Colorado Supreme Court upheld the 1993 law, but the decision was appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The Colorado law is the only state law of its kind in the nation.
 
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