Buffer zone around abortion clinics expanded to 35 feet

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

A protester who declined to give her name stood this morning outside Planned Parenthood in Allston. The white line on the sidewalk marked the old buffer zone of 18 feet, which was increased today to 35 feet.

By Globe Staff

Protesters will now have to remain at least 35 feet from the entrances of abortion clinics under a bill that Governor Deval Patrick signed today.

The new law expanded the buffer zone from 18 to 35 feet. The old law, enacted in 2000, allowed a protestor to approach a person within that 18-foot zone if the protester had the person's consent, a stipulation that some said made the regulation difficult to enforce.

"Women in the Commonwealth have the right to obtain medical care free from violence, harassment or intimidation, and this new law will guard that right," Patrick said in a statement. "By widening the buffer zone around reproductive clinics we will protect patients from the harassment that so many have encountered as they seek care."

Although violations were reported under the old law, there were no successful prosecutions, officials said.

"The new, improved buffer zone law is enforceable, common-sense legislation to protect the rights and well-being of women and their healthcare providers,” Senate President Therese Murray, a Democrat from Plymouth, said in a statement.

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