On Wednesday, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed new legislation to promote public safety and protect access to reproductive health care facilities.
The new law addresses the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the "buffer zone" law in Massachusetts that called for a protest-free 35-foot area around the entrance of women’s health care facilities.
“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, and that the employees of those facilities can arrive at work each day without fear of harm,” said Governor Patrick.
Attorney General Martha Coakley, Senate President Therese Murray, Speaker Robert DeLeo, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts Marty Walz, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts Executive Director Megan Amundson and Massachusetts legislators say they worked to produce a bill that finds the balance between freedom of speech and those who seek access to reproductive health facilities.
The legislation also allows law enforcement to disperse people that impede access to the facilities.
