Buffer Zone Gone
SCOTUS strikes ban on pro-life speech.
Seven years ago, Massachusetts literally painted 35-foot “buffer zones” around the entrances of its abortion clinics, essentially smothering sidewalk counseling by pro-life advocates. This week, the Supreme Court unanimously struck down the Massachusetts law. However, liberal and conservative justices gave different reasons for doing so. Politico reports five justices found “the law was not narrowly tailored. ‘The buffer zones burden substantially more speech than necessary to achieve the commonwealth’s asserted interests,’ they said. The other justices, the court’s four conservatives, said the law was unfairly aimed at anti-abortion speech because it restricted protestors – but not clinic employees.” Of course, the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, decried the ruling’s “troubling level of disregard for American women,” but PP has a troubling level of disregard for innocent life and free speech. More…