Officials: Women need protection near abortion clinics

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has introduced the ?Clinic Access Bill? to help create safety guidelines for protesters outside abortion clinics. According to Quinn and her supporters, many pro-life

News 12 Staff

Nov 20, 2008, 1:15 AM

Updated 5,796 days ago

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City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has introduced the ?Clinic Access Bill? to help create safety guidelines for protesters outside abortion clinics.
According to Quinn and her supporters, many pro-life protesters have harassed women entering clinics, often yelling at them, grabbing women by the arms and forcing them to take literature as an effort to dissuade abortions.
The ?Clinic Access Bill? will create a 15-foot protest-free zone around the facility, while also prohibiting protesters from blocking entrances, parking lots and driveways. The bill would also make it easier for protesters engaging in inappropriate behavior to be arrested.
Though some critics of the bill say it infringes on their rights, many who work inside the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Brooklyn say the protesters have verbally attacked all patients, not just those women coming for abortions.
The City Council must vote on the bill before the mayor can approve it.