Portland Feminist Women's Health Center Leila Whittemore Geri Craig Amy Aycrigg v. Advocates for Life, Inc., and Ivars Bitans Roger Fleming

Ivars Bitans and Roger Fleming appeal pro se a district court order finding them in contempt for disobeying a preliminary injunction. In the action underlying the injunction the Portland Feminist Women’s Health Center (Center), a non-profit corporation which provides medical services including abortions, sued right-to-life advocates who regularly demonstrated outside the Center. The complaint alleged, among other things, a conspiracy to prevent the exercise of federal constitutional rights.

On June 9, 1986 the district court granted the Center’s motion for a preliminary injunction. The injunction prohibited the obstruction of passage of people in and out of the center; demonstration within a certain zone in front of the Center; shouting, screaming and chanting; producing noise which substantially interfered with the provision of medical services in the center; trespassing; damaging Center property; and interfering with the Center’s receipt of public utility services. With a slight modification which provided that shouting, screaming and chanting were only prohibited if they substantially interfered with the provision of medical services within the Center, this court rejected the…