Intimidation and Free Speech

To my mind, the difficult question of abortion comes down to the right of a woman to decide what to do with her own body.

So I was pleased to read this article in The Guardian which reports that the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, has stood up to the religious bullies in his state who seek to intimidate women when they visit local health facilities. 

Freedom of speech is one thing, but these bully-boy, mob-picketing tactics from the religious right are about intimidation pure and simple - they have nothing to do with expressing a point of view.   

Massachusetts governor signs law to limit protests at abortion clinics

Police can order anti-abortion protesters away from clinic entrances if their presence impedes public access

Reuters in Boston

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. Photograph: Ted Fitzgerald/AP

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick on Wednesday signed into law a measure allowing to police to order anti-abortion protesters away from clinic entrances if their presence impedes public access.

The measure comes a month after the US Supreme Court knocked down a 2007 Massachusetts law prohibiting protests within 35 feet (11 meters) of the entrances of reproductive health facilities, a measure that the top court found violated the right to freedom of speech.

“I am incredibly proud to sign legislation that continues Massachusetts leadership in ensuring that women seeking to access reproductive health facilities can do so safely and without harassment,” Patrick said after signing the measure.

The law will allow police to order protesters to move 25 feet (8 meters) away from clinic entrances for eight hours if they block access. State officials, who drafted the bill quickly after the Supreme Court decision, said the new approach was modeled on similar laws elsewhere that had withstood legal challenges.

Anti-abortion activists had criticized the legislation, saying it would have a chilling effect on free speech.