Abortion Is Still Legal — but Soon, the Supreme Court May Make It Much Harder to Get One
Eleanor McCullen, as well as the other “counselors” who regularly picket and leaflet at the state’s clinics, feel the rule is a violation of their free speech, as well as inhibits their ability to talk directly to patients. Abortion rights supporters, on the other hand, state that the buffer provides the proper amount of space to ensure the safety of patients and staff, as well as keeps the friction between the opposing groups from growing into something more volatile. They point to the clinic shootings that occurred in Massachusetts less than 20 years ago as a sign of what can happen when anti-abortion activism escalates into violence.
That highest court in the country has agreed to hear the case at all leaves many reproductive rights advocates worried about its intentions. At every point in the appeals process, the judges in question have determined that the 35-foot buffer strikes the right balance between giving anti-abortion activists access to clinics — and the freedom to street preach, leaflet, pray, and display pro-life signs or graphic abortion images — while still allowing patients, escorts, or staff unimpeded access to the building. By taking up McCullen, is the Supreme Court signaling it sees something different than the previous courts did?
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