Massachusetts Bill that would expand abortion clinic buffer zones provides 'reasonable balance,' editorial says

A Massachusetts bill that would expand abortion clinic buffer zones from 18 feet to 35 feet provides a "reasonable balance that reasonable people will support," a Boston Globe editorial says (Boston Globe, 10/30).

The state Senate passed the bill last week by voice vote. The current law, which was passed in 2000, requires protesters to stay at least six feet away from clinic employees and patients and establishes an 18-foot zone within which individuals may not interact with clinic visitors or staff for the purpose of counseling or protesting. The measure now heads to the House, where at least 75 lawmakers have said they support it (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/25).

According to the Globe, the original law was "so vague as to be nearly unenforceable." The editorial states that Massachusetts "needs clear legislation to protect the free-speech rights of protesters while ensuring that women can exercise their own rights to reproductive health care."

The editorial calls for the House to "swiftly" pass the bill, adding, "No one, including the protesters, is helped by a law that is so unclear it is hard to obey or enforce. ... The bill protects public safety, medical privacy and free speech" (Boston Globe, 10/30).