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http://www.newsmax.com/us/Massachusetts_Abortion/2007/11/13/49241.html
Massachusetts Moves to Protect Abortion Clinics
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
BOSTON -- Massachusetts enacted the toughest restrictions in the United
States on protesters at abortion clinics on Tuesday with a law that forces
them to stay 35 feet away.
The law signed by Gov. Deval Patrick takes immediate effect and expands on
legislation from 2000 that sought to keep protesters 6 feet from a patient
within an 18-foot (5.4-metre) zone outside the state's 10 clinics that
perform abortions.
The state government said in a statement that the old law, especially the
6-foot rule, had proven difficult to enforce.
"By widening the buffer zone around reproductive clinics, we will protect
patients from the harassment that so many have encountered as they seek
care," said Patrick, a Democrat.
The bill, which does not apply to hospitals, sailed through the state's
Democratic-controlled legislature, winning unanimous backing of the
Massachusetts Senate last week after clearing the House in a 122-to-28 vote.
It is the country's largest fixed buffer zone passed by state law to protect
abortion clinics.
Melbourne, Florida maintains a larger, 36-foot (11-metre) buffer zone but
that only applies to one clinic and was created by court injunction. The
Massachusetts law applies statewide to all reproductive health centers.
Advocates say the law protects patients and clinic staff from harassment,
intimidation and violence. Opponents say it breaches freedom of speech
protections.
"We have protesters daily outside our facilities," said Lisa Dacey,
spokeswoman at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, which
operates four clinics in the state.
The state's Supreme Judicial Court upheld the constitutionality of buffer
zones in 2001 after the previous law was challenged, saying it did not
violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment right to free speech and
peaceful assembly.
Calls for tougher legislation to protect abortion clinics in Massachusetts
began in 1994 when a man killed two workers and injured five in a shooting
at two women's clinics in Brookline, bordering Boston.
Abortion is an emotionally charged issue in the United States that often
figures prominently in local and national politics.
Massachusetts Moves to Protect Abortion Clinics
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
BOSTON -- Massachusetts enacted the toughest restrictions in the United
States on protesters at abortion clinics on Tuesday with a law that forces
them to stay 35 feet away.
The law signed by Gov. Deval Patrick takes immediate effect and expands on
legislation from 2000 that sought to keep protesters 6 feet from a patient
within an 18-foot (5.4-metre) zone outside the state's 10 clinics that
perform abortions.
The state government said in a statement that the old law, especially the
6-foot rule, had proven difficult to enforce.
"By widening the buffer zone around reproductive clinics, we will protect
patients from the harassment that so many have encountered as they seek
care," said Patrick, a Democrat.
The bill, which does not apply to hospitals, sailed through the state's
Democratic-controlled legislature, winning unanimous backing of the
Massachusetts Senate last week after clearing the House in a 122-to-28 vote.
It is the country's largest fixed buffer zone passed by state law to protect
abortion clinics.
Melbourne, Florida maintains a larger, 36-foot (11-metre) buffer zone but
that only applies to one clinic and was created by court injunction. The
Massachusetts law applies statewide to all reproductive health centers.
Advocates say the law protects patients and clinic staff from harassment,
intimidation and violence. Opponents say it breaches freedom of speech
protections.
"We have protesters daily outside our facilities," said Lisa Dacey,
spokeswoman at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, which
operates four clinics in the state.
The state's Supreme Judicial Court upheld the constitutionality of buffer
zones in 2001 after the previous law was challenged, saying it did not
violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment right to free speech and
peaceful assembly.
Calls for tougher legislation to protect abortion clinics in Massachusetts
began in 1994 when a man killed two workers and injured five in a shooting
at two women's clinics in Brookline, bordering Boston.
Abortion is an emotionally charged issue in the United States that often
figures prominently in local and national politics.