Massachusetts crafting new abortion clinic bill

BOSTON – Gov. Deval Patrick said Wednesday he expects to have a bill on his desk by the end of the month that would strengthen security around abortion clinics in Massachusetts.

The legislation is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision last week striking down the state’s 35-foot buffer zone law, deeming it an unconstitutional restraint on the free-speech rights of protesters.

The decision has been praised by anti-abortion activists but decried by abortion rights supporters and the top elected official in Massachusetts, who say the zones helped protect public safety.

Patrick called the ruling “a setback for reproductive freedom,” but said the court also gave the state a roadmap for possible legislative action the state could take that would survive a constitutional challenge.

“That really creates the framework,” Patrick said.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said she has begun working with lawmakers to craft legislation to help protect women entering clinics while respecting the rights of protesters.

Those options include giving police more power to disperse crowds, Coakley said. Operators of the clinics, which also offer services other than abortion, have pointed to efforts by some protesters in the past to block entranceways.

The legislation could also help guard access to driveways leading to clinics and adopt on a state level some of the protections included in the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, she said.

“Women should not be afraid or too stressed out to seek necessary medical care,” said Coakley, a Democratic candidate for governor. “The Supreme Court might not have liked our buffer zone, but they did not lessen our commitment to protecting women’s access to reproductive health care.”

Lawmakers will have to move quickly. The Legislature’s formal session ends July 31. After that, the objection of a single lawmaker can stall legislation for the rest of the year.

To get a bill to Patrick before then, lawmakers will have to write it, file it and hold public hearings. The bill will also have to win final approval in both the House and Senate.