Last night, Allentown City Council considered establishing a 15' buffer zone outside its Planned Parenthood Center. The matter is being referred to a special committee so no action was taken. There was plenty of discussion, however, from members of the public.
John Merwarth of the Bright Hope Pregnancy Support Center argued against a buffer. "What problems have occurred that make a buffer zone necessary?" he asked. Dr. Maria Matinez, an OB-Gyn research fellow, told Council that research shows a statistically significant link between abortion and higher rates of anxiety and depression. She said anti-abortion advocates at abortion clinics can enlighten women about pregnancy clinics that are completely free. "Having this buffer zone is not helping anybody. It is not helping America, It is not helping Allentown."
Hannah Clarke (sp?) of Planned Parenthood had an different view. She said that anti-abortion advocates show up often, even on non-abortion days. She described prolifers as "harassing patients and making patients feel unsafe."
Paz (sp?) Simpson supports a buffer. "As someone who is an expert in violence, we don't want to give anyone an opportunity to create violence. If we can create a space where these women get an education and can be safe along the way,that's great. ... I'm not pro-life or pro-choice, I'm pro-safety."
There are gauntlets outside polling precincts when people go to vote. Voters are besieged by candidates and campaigns out to secure last-minute votes. The Election Code provides, however, that active campaigning must cease within 10' of the polling place. I'm unaware of any attempt to attack this buffer as a violation of free speech. Thus, I do believe a buffer zone would hold up as a reasonable and very limited restriction on free speech.
I have no knowledge whether women visiting Planned Parenthood are subject to bullying or harassment. I suspect they are because Planned Parenthood provides escorts.
34 comments:
Planned Parenthood tried that in Massachusetts. It lasted for a while. The Pro-Lifers took it to court over restriction of free speech and their ability to congregate. The buffer zone was struck down in one of the most liberal states. If anything, the Pro-Lifers were subjected to all kinds of things while praying the Rosary. They have endured many instances of people hurling not only insults but spit, coffee, rocks, and whatever else can be thrown from a moving car.
Yes a buffer zone is unconstitutional unless it applies to everyone, both anti-abortion and pro-choice. That was the problem in Mass. I have little doubt that an ordinance can be adopted that survives constitutional scrutiny. But I'd want to know whether patients are really being harassed and bullied. If so, there should be a buffer.
They should get around the clock police protection for the heroic work they're performing to keep tax sucking, crime committing, and unsightly drooling mutants from roaming among us. Think of it as pre-emergent extermination for pest control. Nobody needs more blacks, Spanish, or retarded. You all know this but won't say it out loud. I'm pro choice when the choice is to thin the mutant herd. Tax funded abortions for every. Enough.
I can remember in early years when folks would picket animal shelters that euthanized strays and then the shelters decided if an animal came in pregnant, they would allow it to give birth and then euthanized. How do you decide when free speech becomes unacceptable harassment? Off topic somewhat but if one is a strict vegetarian and do not even eat eggs, how do you support abortion? Just asking for a friend.
Executioners in death penalty states are brought in under protection from left-wing pro-life nuts to perform what is legal. Allentown has an undesirables problem. Let the vacuums sing.
You know who *really* needs protection? The babies being torn limb-from-limb by abortion butchers.
I want to know if anyone is being harassed. No one should get a pass.
Maybe a compromise.
Pass the ordinance but don't enforce it.
You know, like everything else in Allentown.
So the patients are made to feel unsafe? How about the child inside the mother? His/her safety is pretty much disregarded all together.
And before the tribal lunatics pile on, I'm a democrat so let that marinate.
I despise the topic of abortion and it's use to wage ooga booga on voters (both sides). But, the issue is used to obfuscate the variety of failures of our electeds.
Given Planned Parenthood's location in Allentown, if you make it to within 15 feet of the building, you're past the most dangerous part of your trip. At that point, a little harassing and razzing is safer and easier to ignore than gunfire, mini-bikes and ATVs speeding up and down the wrong way on one-way streets, and the general chaos in the city.
How does someone become an ‘expert’ in violence?
I wonder if Allentown City Council would pass a resolution supporting the removal of protestors from in front of the homes of Supreme Court Justices. I realize it would only be a recommendation to Virginia, Maryland, and federal jurisdictions, but at least it would signal that council is concerned about protecting people on all sides of the issue.
Similarly, instead of passing an ordinance against pregnancy support centers, I think it would be appropriate for them to pass a resolution condemning the violence against such centers (by groups like Jane's Revenge) and affirm the right of those centers to operate in the city.
Or would that destroy the true political motive behind council's actions last night?
As much as I love living in Allentown, I find the political representation to be quite frustrating. With all the problems in Allentown that ought to be addressed here are some members of City Council being pre-occupied with using Allentown government to pursue their own personal political agendas. One way the suburban municipalities are beating the City is by having elected officials dedicated to providing high quality services to the residents whether it be police, snow plowing, parks and recreation, water, sewer and streets etc. Wouldn't it be refreshing if Allentown City Council was as concerned about better police protection, improved park and recreation programs and increased quality of code enforcement to name just a few? I would argue that in light of the recent 5% ASD tax hike, that City Council would better serve residents by working with local members of the legislature to research alternatives to education funding in Allentown as opposed to their focus on paying for out of state abortions for City employees.
The should just apply and enforce current harassments and threat laws on the books. A lot of the people outside causing the problem could be put away for years if they actually enforced and convicted the shitheads.
Or we can utilize another theory which is put forward so often by the republican gun toting cultist. They are threatening me so I get to shoot them.
The scariest part of getting an abortion in Allentown, is being in Allentown. City council and the mayor preside over a third world shit hole where murder and mayhem are daily occurrences. But they're working on this. All Allentown is really good for is a place to off babies. It's a black hole for death and a lack of value for human life. Just watch its citizens kill each other. They should market their death culture and promote Allentown as an abortion tourism destination. Be who you are Allentown.
The previous comment about not enforcing Allentown's laws is a bullseye. Laws in Allentown are flaunted. The police are not taken seriously and are considered worthless pariahs - mostly by city council. Pass anything you want. Nobody cares what Allentown's laws are. They never get enforced. Lol.
"I'm not pro-life or pro-choice..."
This is ridiculous and dishonest. Any words that follow should be judged accordingly.
While not specifically mentioned in this post, one of the proposals by council is to instruct police to de-prioritize abortion-related crime if abortion ever became illegal nationwide or in PA.
I have a very big problem with any governing body telling the police not to enforce ANY law. That's not their place as council members and is a horrible example to city residents.
If there's a law that they disagree with at the federal or state level, then they can work (on their own time) to change that law at the appropriate level.
This notion that local governments can pick and choose which laws to enforce is detrimental to our society, threatening our "democracy" (as the Left loves to say).
Minority council members voting to carry out whitey's extermination of blacks and Latinos is peak Democratic 2022. Why are blacks stuck at 13% of the population? Regular extermination keeps the pest population down. That's what's really behind abortion and why white, admittedly racist guys like Bernie are so supportive of it.
Lots of people here advocating for harassment of people seeking medical care who were peeing themselves with fury over protestors in front of Brett Kavanaugh's house.
Bernie, stop letting your comments sections become an exhibit of the Lehigh Valley's most deranged racists.
Google Brian Simns, Pa State Rep., and his threats and bullying against young women protesting at an abortion clinic. We need protection against people like that. Vote them out.
People who go to the Allentown PP for NON-abortion services are routinely harassed and threatened. It’s terrible.
"The scariest part of getting an abortion in Allentown, is being in Allentown. City council and the mayor preside over a third world shit hole where murder and mayhem are daily occurrences. But they're working on this. All Allentown is really good for is a place to off babies. It's a black hole for death and a lack of value for human life. Just watch its citizens kill each other. They should market their death culture and promote Allentown as an abortion tourism destination. Be who you are Allentown."
Anonymous 2:59: Aren't you lucky the moderator allows you to spew hate and ignorance on this blog. Calling my home a "third world shithole", who do you think you are. If you have nothing constructive to add, why not just start posting on racist hate blogs and give us a break
Most of you people are sick and very demented. The facts are my body my choice! So F OFF.
Super accurate!
Unfortunately very true. The police often tell you to call another department or even ask you to take pictures and get back in touch the next time you witness illegal activity! I thought that was the job of the police? As a result, nuisance activity is rampant and the laws are not taken seriously.
It is musikfest time so all that nuisance activity will be relocated for a period of time. And yet it will still be ignored for the sake of money.
62,000,000 aborted developing human children since Roe vs Wade is too many.
No matter your stance on the subject, that number should evoke disgust in everyone.
It is a blight in our society, and offers proof of our declining humanity.
@8:38 It your opinion but also your opinion is just that - it is your and should be applied to you and only you. You probably also think all women should do everything and exactly like you want. You probably also disregard all the people your religion killed. And you probably disregard all the people you have ever crapped on during your life as they deserved the way you treated them. So yes you can have your opinion but we can have our opinion too that you should just be glad that your parents were forced to have you and are lucky that if they would have known how self entitled and ego centric you were going to turn out they would have taken a different route. And that our opinion is you do not count in society as you want it your way and no one else. So just go to Burger King where they delight in letting people have it their way. And now that I am thinking about it why should have it your way when you do not want any women to have it her way.
838 too bad you were not one of them.
Vulgar death cult resulting in the termination of human life.
1 in 3 American women have had one. Of those, half have had more than 1.
Three most prevalent reasons given:
1. Don’t want pregnancy to affect appearance.
2. Don’t want pregnancy to affect social status.
3. Don’t want pregnancy to affect career.
For these reasons, 62,000,000 unborn babies had to be sucked, scraped or torn from their mothers wombs.
Abortion at 3pm followed by cocktails at 5.
Pro choice rallies are a gathering of collective guilt and those in attendance should be made to listen to the crying of newborn babies for their duration.
And hundreds of millions of people have been buried by the same religious groups brain washing people like you 8:15. What is your point beyond it is your opinion.
Do you eat beef well you just killed something.
Do you eat fish well you just killed something.
Do you eat any other meats you killed something.
Do you hunt you kill things?
How many Chinese, Indian or other third world nation products do you have in your house you probably aided in the killing of thousands of children.
Do you have diamonds, you probably have aided in cause for working to death African children, women, and men.
You chose to make a choice and put forth your opinion. Doe not mean it is right or that anyone gives a crap about your thoughts. IT is a personal preference and more then likely a majorly hypocritical one at that.
@8:15 I found parts of you quoted numbers and list on Fox news and OAN so before I question your motives, versus indoctrination, and blind beliefs - please enlighten us with your sources. I also found your list as you so state that women do not want pregnancy for the reason you reference but that list was on a list of why women use birth control.
I certainly hope you can as it may enlighten us.
What buffer zone do those aborted babies have???? many lives have been saved last minute because of these unorthodox tactics... if you were that unborn baby wouldnt you want a last chance for life too??? Im more worried about the mayor of the third largest city in pennsylvania hopping on a plane with the F the Police Folks to the tropics...
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