“I’ve been with Coalition Life since June of last year. This is something I’ve been passionate about for years, but never had an opportunity to put my passion into action, so to speak. I was looking for a part-time job. I learned at church about Coalition Life... I applied and got right into it!”

“My first week out in Carbondale, I got assaulted. Somebody threw something out of a car at me. We get a lot of mixed reactions. I’ve seen some positive things, too.”

“One of my favorite stories was a woman who showed up at ‘Choices,’ the first abortion clinic to come here. She came here with two of her friends. They dropped her off and left.”

“And I had some really extensive conversations with her. She came out [of the abortion facility] an hour or so later and said she couldn’t go through with the abortion.”

“When her friends got there, they jumped out of the car and gave her a big hug. It was so great to see that she had chosen life and that her friends were really supportive of that.”

“I think a lot of people just don't even really understand what’s going on around here. There are three abortion facilities here. Recently, I’ve seen more Illinois vehicles coming in and out [of the abortion facility]. But primarily, it’s from out of state—Tennessee, Arkansas, some Kentucky, Texas, and Florida.”

“If [the bubble zone] is repealed and stays repealed then I think it will take a lot of internal pressure off us... It’s going make our ability to actually share our point of view and share our free speech with people a whole lot easier.”

“I’ve [counseled] at Fairview Heights and seen what it’s like to not have to deal with or think about the bubble zone. It does allow you to get closer initially to interact. You don’t have this thought in the back of your mind of: ‘Oh, am I going to get in trouble? Am I going to get a ticket?’”

“I’m just trying to talk to someone and save a life.”

“The city council has really embraced abortion as a means of income and bringing people to the area. So, they really like it... I've heard that they’d like to bring two more [abortion facilities] in.”

“They’re singling out a specific person or a group of people’s viewpoint, and they’re trying to limit their ability to share that viewpoint with others.”

“[The bubble zone] affects everyone in Carbondale.”

Brandon Hamman

Coalition Life Sidewalk Counselor

Carbondale, Illinois

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To learn more about Thomas More Society's fight to end bubble zones and defend Coalition Life sidewalk counselors' rights, click here to read more.