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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSupreme Court rules abortion protesters free to harrass women entering clinics right up to the door
GuardianUS ?@GuardianUS 4mBreaking: Supreme court rules abortion clinic 'buffer zones' violate First Amendment http://trib.al/LImDiue #SCOTUS
Abortion clinic 'buffer zones' violate first amendment supreme court
Justices side with seven Massachusetts anti-abortion protesters who said 35-foot buffer zone infringed on free speech
The US supreme court has unanimously ruled that a Massachusetts law imposing a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics violates the first amendment.
The case was brought by seven Massachusetts anti-abortion protesters, who have demonstrated outside the state's three abortion facilities in Boston, Springfield and Worcester. They said the buffer zone was unconstitutional and violates their right to free speech.
Lawyers representing Massachusetts had argued the buffer zones were necessary to stop women from being harassed or prevented from entering clinics by crowds of protestors, and insisted it was impractical to draft legislation that differentiated this from peaceful conversation.
Eleanor McCullen, 77, the principal plaintiff in the case and a regular outside the Boston clinic where Roberts works, has said the law has hampered her ability to engage in sidewalk counselling with women entering the clinic. She said that before the buffer zone came into effect she and the others filing the challenge dissuaded hundreds of women against having abortions by offering support and help with bills.
read: http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/jun/26/buffer-zone-rule-abortion-clinics-supreme-court
read the opinion: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/scotus-strikes-down-abortion-clinic-buffer-zone?utm_content=buffer7611b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)Fucking morons on the court.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)turned up to something soothing and affirmative..
so many red states now have "stand your ground" laws. .........(sarcasm)
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)warrior1
(12,325 posts)MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)The parking lot must directly adjoin the entrance.
Then place no trespassing signs.
The first anti-woman idiot who sets foot on the clinic's property is prosecuted.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)The protesters ended up in a vacant lot across the street.
Then the vacant lot posted no trespassing signs and the protesters have nowhere to go because they cannot block public sidewalks with protests.
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)Orrex
(63,172 posts)Sort of seemed like a good idea, if they can find the protestors' properties.
Coventina
(27,055 posts)I'm too depressed to comment further.....
rurallib
(62,377 posts)it is sickening and truly intimidating.
I wonder then if the so called "free speech zones" where protesters are sequestered at events like conventions are also illegal? Should be.
A Little Weird
(1,754 posts)This ruling is bullshit.
rurallib
(62,377 posts)daleanime
(17,796 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)Guess somebody had a good point
Johonny
(20,818 posts)will be offered the exact same "rights" as people that harass other people on the way to the doctor...
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)It was a restriction of a public space based on speech content.
Walking down the street not speaking, or speaking about something non-related to the clinic? Go on through. Talking about the clinic? Go around.
Exposethefrauds
(531 posts)Yes I remember those days
I also remember all the scared assed women I escorted too, scared for their lives due to religious assholes threatening to kill them.
GD religion
warrior1
(12,325 posts)the fred phelps idiots at funerals?
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Exposethefrauds
(531 posts)What is they love to spew. An armed society is a polite society
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)sometimes you have to step on someone's toes until THEY apologize.
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)I've been escorting for 25 years. They won't apologize of course.
The idea is to get the women into the clinic with as little hassle as possible. Stirring things up does nothing positive and makes more problems for the escorts and clinic clients.
However, Rude Pundit's idea of going to their churches and hassling them there is fine with me.
Orrex
(63,172 posts)ellie
(6,928 posts)by someone on another site to protest outside those fake abortion clinics to make sure the women entering know they are fake. I wonder how quickly the law would change if the tables were turned.
HERVEPA
(6,107 posts)Problem is, it's hard enough to get enough escorts at our clinics. Not enough people are willing to be engaged.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)ljm2002
(10,751 posts)...must be unconstitutional as well? Right???
sinkingfeeling
(51,436 posts)and speakers? No more free speech zones!
dsc
(52,151 posts)They ruled that a 35 foot buffer zone which includes public property such as sidewalks was too large but left in tact the 8 foot buffer zone that they previously ruled was OK.
. . . I can practically reach out and touch the door.
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)... choice is dead at that point.
Who is going to brave a gauntlet of screaming nutjobs with armed nutjobs mixed in?
randys1
(16,286 posts)next.
And they want it all, and they want to tell YOU what you can do not just what they can do.
These are stupid people who are going to eventually piss off enough of us that shit gonna happen
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)I'm surprised the case got this far. The unanimous ruling is indicative of just how dangerous a precedent this would set if allowed to stand.
Hopefully there are many volunteers to counter these protestors and help women into the clinic. But you just can't arrest someone for protesting on a sidewalk. And I hope the state cooperates by doing something like selling select pieces of surrounding property to the clinics so they can put up proper fencing and walkways.