Father of Aborted Child Sued for Advertising Grief on Billboard
A New Mexico man is fighting a court order to remove a billboard where he explicitly opposes his ex-girlfriend’s decision to get an abortion.
“This Would Have Been A Picture Of My 2-Month Old Baby If The Mother Had Decided To Not KILL Our Child!" the billboard reads, with a picture of Greg Fultz holding the outline of an infant. The would-be father expressed his remorse for the abortion of his unborn child.
His ex-girlfriend sued, claiming the billboard violated her privacy. A local court recommended that the sign be taken down. However, Fultz and his attorney have appealed the order, arguing that it violates free speech rights.
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"As distasteful and offensive as the sign may be to some, for over 200 years in this country the First Amendment protects distasteful and offensive speech," attorney Todd Holmes said, according to The Associated Press. He cited the recent U.S. Supreme Court Case involving Westboro Baptist Church to make his case.
Upset that his former girlfriend aborted their unborn child without consulting him, Fultz made a public display of his personal feelings with the billboard posting. The sign is seen on Alamogordo's main thoroughfare.
The ex-girlfriend (whose name has not been revealed to the press) is claiming harassment and violation of her privacy. The woman admitted she did not consult with Fultz about the unborn child, but denied having an abortion. She and her friends say it was a miscarriage.
Fultz and his lawyer contend that he is being truthful about what happened.
“My argument is: What Fultz said is the truth," Holmes asserted.
The ex-girlfriend's lawyer, Ellen Jessen, would neither confirm nor deny the story.
Rather, she argued it does not matter whether her client had a miscarriage or an abortion. The central issue is her client's right to privacy.
"Nobody is stopping him from talking about father's rights ... but a person can't invade someone's private life," she said, according to the Alamogordo Daily News.
The billboard does not mention the woman by name.
The billboard was endorsed by the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico and sponsored by GEFNET.
