PITTSBURGH — A Christian legal group asked a federal judge Wednesday to exempt a woman from a Pittsburgh ordinance that restricts protests near health care facilities, including those that perform abortions.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty group founded by evangelicals, filed suit last year on behalf of Mary Kathryn Brown, a nurse from Indiana Township. The group contends that the ordinance prohibits Brown from engaging in "personal, peaceful sidewalk counseling."

The 2005 law bars protesters from within 15 feet of the door to any health care facility. Within 100 feet of the door, protesters cannot come within 8 feet of clients without their consent.

The lawsuit says Brown visits city abortion clinics to warn women about the physical dangers of abortion, inform them of alternatives and counsel people accompanying the women. The suit names the city and city officials as defendants.

The group sought a preliminary injunction against the ordinance in June 2006. On Wednesday, attorney David Cortman asked U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to apply the injunction solely to Brown as her case proceeds.

Cortman said Brown continues to visit the facilities but has been unable to deliver her message, partly because she cannot be heard from a distance because of traffic noise.

PITTSBURGH — The National Rifle Association will hold its annual convention in Pittsburgh in 2011.It's the second time the NRA has selected Pittsburgh for its annual convention. Vice President Dick Cheney was the keynote speaker at its 2004 convention.The event will take place April 28 to May 1 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It's expected to attract about 61,000 people, ranking it among the city's largest conventions.