20 Nov 2009 06:00 AM
Antiabortion-Rights Advocates Protest 'Bubble Zone' Ordinance Outside Chicago Clinics
About 40 antiabortion-rights advocates protested a "bubble zone" ordinance on Tuesday at a North Side Planned Parenthood clinic in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reports. The measure took effect on Wednesday. The law establishes a 50-foot buffer outside the entrances of abortion centers. Within that zone, protesters can't come within an eight-foot zone. Anyone who enters the zone could be fined $500.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois issued a statement saying that it was "thrilled" by the ordinance, which the City Council passed last month. The statement said, "This new bubble zone will enhance public safety in a fair and constitutional manner," adding, "The law strikes a delicate balance between the right to free speech with the need to protect people from harassment and intimidation…
