Protecting Abortion Clinics - Without a Buffer Zone
Protecting Abortion Clinics - Without a Buffer Zone
Tuesday, 02 September 2014 09:56
By Katie Klabusich, Truthout | News Analysis
The Supreme Court's decision striking down the Massachusetts 35-foot abortion clinic buffer zone is barely in the rearview mirror, but the effects are being felt around the country. While Governor Deval Patrick dealt with the decision by quickly signing new legislation in an attempt to provide protections in the small space left by McCullen, some municipalities facing challenges of their own have chosen not to put newly passed laws into effect.
This atmosphere of uncertainty has made advocating for buffer ordinances tough as cities and states have to weigh benefits against the cost of potential lawsuits from well-funded anti-choice groups. With the dueling precedents of Colorado v. Hill - which affirmed Colorado's 100-foot buffer and was ignored by the Supreme Court - and McCullen, concerned citizens are refocusing their energy on defending individual clinics through volunteer groups, while raising public awareness of picketing.
Megan Delilah, a clinic escort at the Tampa Women's Health Center in Florida, posts about her experiences with area picketers on social media using the #ProtectTheZone and #NotCounseling hashtags. As a clinic escort, it’s her job to provide a safe space for patients entering the building, and she's often standing and walking between them and screaming picketers. Her frustration with the McCullen decision has reaffirmed her commitment to showing people what patients go through as they attempt to access legal, necessary medical care.
"The Supreme Court has just emboldened misogynistic bullies and those who would murder clinic workers to continue their assault on the rights of patients seeking sexual health services and abortion to be left alone," said Delilah. "There's a reason why the patients I take into the clinic are so happy to see me, and it's not because anti-choicers are just exercising their right to Free Speech."
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http://truth-out.org/news/item/25886-protecting-abortion-clinics-without-a-buffer-zone
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