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another story related to legal decisions and social issues as MSNBC in NPR
reporting the Supreme Court
is now considering the legality abortion clinic buffer zones
if you haven't heard about these buffer zones buffer zones are
its kinda as the name says it's an area around an abortion clinic
beyond which protesters must stand it's a common thing for Planned Parenthood
clinics and other clinics which by the way
mostly aren't doing abortions there mostly doing
STD tests and birth control and cents
you to such other things but they do you do some
abortions you have to stand at least a certain distance from
from the clinic colorado has an eight-foot loading
buffer zone and the Supreme Court fourteen years ago
upheld that to protect patients and staff in
and prevent harassment from happening now in Massachusetts
there's a 35-foot buffer zone from the entrance
a reproductive health care facility where abortions take place
this zone is clearly marked with the yellow line Louis
and the Supreme Court is going to decide whether
this is constitutional or whether it is a by a lesion
people's right to really have unfettered
free speech the lead plaintiff is Alan Norma Colin
she's a member of the anti-abortion group operation rescue
and also a part-time prison chaplain she looks kind of like a cheery grandmother
and what she does it stand outside Planned Parenthood clinics in Boston two
days a week
for the last 13 years and counsel women
against going inside a ideally in talking to her
instead it to prevent abortions now she says
the buffer zone violates her first amendment rights
and prevents her from communicating with complete
effectiveness she says it's america I should be able to walk and talk
gently lovingly anywhere with
anybody now Planned Parenthood in Boston says ninety percent of what we do
is primary care contraception cancer screening
and gynecological services not abortion and percent of what we do is abortions
but we still have these people outside all the time and we do have a need
or security by the way to
personnel at that clinic were killed by a gunman in 1994
who also wounded 25 others Louis when I think about this idea buffer zones
if you were going to eliminate the 35-foot buffer zone outside of these
clinics
you have to eliminate the 150 foot buffer zone around polling places beyond
which people holding campaign literature have to stand
you have to stay away from the buffer zone
around the Supreme Court for people holding signs trying to
get their message heard or seen regarding what is being discussed inside
I think that it would be improper you discriminate specifically when it comes
to a buffer zone
around an abortion clinic and not so many other places in this country
right and you can even get into the details serve
land ownership and well where does your jurisdiction and if you own this
building and things like that
but it seems to me that if these protesters are still in plain sight
35 feet is not much at all I you know
I don't think as much are being done this is the hypocrisy up the extreme
radical religious right
they think that God specifically there a god and no other gods from
other so-called fake religions would be able to do this
there a god has given them the right to force their beliefs on everyone else in
this country
and even the slightest attempts to prevent them from doing so
in exactly the way they've determined they need to
is labeled this some kind of an affront to their
ability your right to practice their religion freedom of religion
even saying happy holidays instead it Merry Christmas
to some members of the radical right Louis is considered some kind of an
active war and an actually
the term war is being used all the time when something like happy holidays
said what a double standard yet
the war on Christmas David I mean I i'm not going to advocate for war on
religion but
religion is certainly not helping anything