Ontario to forbid anti-abortion protests near clinics, homes of providers

[Tennis]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...s-of-providers

Ontario will ban anti-abortion protests near clinics that provide abortions, near pharmacies that dispense pregnancy-ending pills and near the homes of people who work in any of those places, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi announced Wednesday.

“They will just have to call the police and the police will take care of the rest,” Naqvi said at a clinic specializing in women’s health in Toronto.

He was moved to act after complaints that regular protests outside The Morgentaler Clinic on Bank Street, Ottawa’s one standalone abortion clinic, had escalated into outright harassment and a woman’s being spit on.

“Patients have a right to access abortion services with their privacy maintained,” Naqvi said.

The law, if the legislature passes it, will create automatic 50-metre “bubble zones” around Ontario’s eight standalone abortion clinics where protests will be forbidden; the government will have the power to shrink the zones or expand them to 150 metres by ministerial order.

A 50-metre zone around Ottawa’s clinic would cover the sidewalks on its block, on both sides of Bank Street, and extend a little past the intersections at each end. A 150-metre bubble would go from Wellington Street in the north to Albert Street in the south.

Other places that offer abortions as part of a broader range of services, including hospitals, individual doctors offices and pharmacies that dispense abortion pills, will be added to the list if they ask, Naqvi said. The homes of people who work in such places will automatically have 150-metre bubble zones around them, and the law will forbid harassing abortion doctors or their staff over their work anywhere in the province.

People who violate the new law, once it’s passed, will risk fines of $5,000 and six months in jail for first offences.

“Women will not be intimidated. Women will not be harassed. Women will not be bullied when trying to gain access to abortion services,” promised Indira Naidoo-Harris, Ontario’s minister for the status of women, sharing the lectern with Naqvi.

Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre and Attorney General of Ontario. Errol McGihon / Postmedia

Naqvi’s legislation is similar to existing laws in British Columbia (which has had one for 20 years) and Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador (which each passed their own versions last year). The B.C. law has been through multiple court challenges and survived them all.

Some Ontario abortion clinics have bubble zones already, laid on by court injunctions against ferocious anti-abortion protests in the early 1990s. They only cover clinics that were open then, though — and Ottawa’s wasn’t. Naqvi’s law will make the zones automatic wherever an abortion clinic happens to be, and wherever abortion providers happen to live.

“I know some people will not agree with our approach, but that cannot and will not diminish our resolve,” he said. “Because I believe that policies like this are more important now than ever. In an increasingly polarized society, it is critical that we protect a woman’s right to choose.”

Indeed, anti-abortion group We Need a Law answered with a complaint that the restrictions Naqvi plans will be unconstitutional. Abortion isn’t a right, researcher Anna Nienhuis said. Governments could restrict it. Unlike free expression, which is a constitutional right.

“I find it ignorant for the attorney general of Ontario to suggest that abortion is a right. He should know better, and he has definitely crossed a line by suggesting that this fabricated right can undermine fundamental freedoms,” she argued.

On the flip side, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, an Ottawa-based pro-choice group descended from the Canadian Abortion Rights Action League that fought for legal abortion in the first place, is thrilled.

“Supporting reproductive rights requires governments to recognize the intersecting barriers individuals face when trying to access health care,” executive director Sandeep Prasad said. “There is ample evidence that anti-choice harassment and intimidation is a huge problem throughout the country and that access-zone legislation works to protect patients, practitioners and their staff.”

The Liberals shouldn’t expect too much trouble getting the legislation through, even in the supercrowded schedule they’ve given themselves in the lead-up to the next election. Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown fired out a supportive statement before Naqvi had even spoken.

“Let me be very clear: I am pro-choice. That includes protecting women exercising their rights from intimidation or harassment,” the statement says.

Brown, who had a sterling anti-abortion voting record as a federal Conservative member of Parliament, accused the Liberals of trying to bait him into talking about social issues instead of “creating good jobs, relief for beleaguered middle-class families, and closing the door on waste and corruption.”

Only Premier Kathleen Wynne wants a divisive argument about abortion, Brown said.

It’s probably a bit of both. No doubt the Liberals would be happy to talk about abortion rights instead of, say, electricity prices. Such things are a much bigger problem for the Tories’ fractious coalition of Bay Street types, libertarians and social conservatives than they are for either the Liberals or New Democrats. But the complaints from Ottawa’s Morgentaler Clinic went on for weeks before Naqvi promised to do anything — his staff initially pooh-poohed the notion that a new law was needed, in fact.

Wednesday, Naqvi seemed on the verge of tears as he told the story of the woman who was spat on as she went to the clinic.

“As soon as I learned, in my own community that a woman was spat on for just simply going to get health-care service,” he began, and then paused. “Action was needed. And we worked as hard as we could to get this legislation here …

This is really heating up.
Obviously we must respect free speech but why are these "protestors" spitting on people? Is that right?

Why assault others if your goal is to protect unborn babies?

[Player Twelve]

This is really heating up.
Obviously we must respect free speech but why are these "protestors" spitting on people? Is that right?

Why assault others if your goal is to protect unborn babies?

Because they're criminal scum hoping to scare women so they won't go to them to get abortions.

[Poopymonster]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...s-of-providers



This is really heating up.
Obviously we must respect free speech but why are these "protestors" spitting on people? Is that right?

Why assault others if your goal is to protect unborn babies?

Because if you shame them, make them feel horrible for going through a legal procedure that they have thought long and hard about, and harass them enough, that'll make them keep the baby they don't want. Betty Bowers approves.

RE: The last sentence, to most of them, a woman, once pregnant is no longer an autonomous human being, they become a thing to give birth to a fetus. To the exclusion of everything else. Always. Nothing else matters. No matter what.

[Wagar]

Go Ontario! Happy to see something happening about this finally. Always thought it was really messed up to push religious or personal views on people who are making nothing more then a private/personal choice.

Seen some really nasty protests set up around where i have resided.

[Masark]

Because they're criminal scum hoping to scare women so they won't go to them to get abortions.

Or they're criminal scum hoping to scare doctors so they won't perform abortions.

[jellmoo]

Good. They have the right to their opinion and the right to express themselves, but it absolutely should not come at the cost of the safety and physical and emotional well being of women who are experiencing such a trying time.

Freedom of Expression in Canada has limits, and this should absolutely be one of them.

[Serpha]

Gotta protect the profits. As long as it's white women...

[Ahovv]

Good. They have the right to their opinion and the right to express themselves, but it absolutely should not come at the cost of the safety and physical and emotional well being of women who are experiencing such a trying time.

Freedom of Expression in Canada has limits, and this should absolutely be one of them.

"Emotional well being"

Fuck their "emotional well being." I 100% support abortions but banning protests because it's something offensive is a horrible idea.

[Ahovv]

Not at all.

When there were a bunch of neo-nazis and white supremacists marching through Charleston, I see no reason why the general public should 'accept' that or allow such intimidation to happen. When thousands of dudes literally walked around with torches and shouted hate speech aimed at making certain people feel less than human.

Protests on public space should be banned across the board. So many problems would be solved with it. Just create some public squares or something where these things can happen in a controlled manner. Instead of allowing fringe groups to claim public space.

Ok, ignore the idea of a protest for a moment. What part of their speech are you wanting banned? Like, if one guy is saying something offensive, where is the line drawn for you?

[Sky High]

Because it's not really about protecting anyone? Just the pro life version of "virtue signaling".

[Queen of Hamsters]

Good.

Anti-abortion protesters tend to be the most zealous, extreme examples and thus more likely to use violence.

[Najnaj]

Not at all.

When there were a bunch of neo-nazis and white supremacists marching through Charleston, I see no reason why the general public should 'accept' that or allow such intimidation to happen. When thousands of dudes literally walked around with torches and shouted hate speech aimed at making certain people feel less than human.

Protests on public space should be banned across the board. So many problems would be solved with it. Just create some public squares or something where these things can happen in a controlled manner. Instead of allowing fringe groups to claim public space.

A vast majority of "these things" do happen in a controlled manner. Religious fundamentalists, nazis and other idiots are such a tiny percentage.

[urasim]

Uh, they can say what they want, but it shouldn't be done in public spaces in large gatherings or as forms of protests.

You can't let fringe groups use your public streets to fight their gang wars (Antifa vs. White Supremacists)

I think what you are saying right now is fringe. I think you should be banned from saying it.

[IIamaKing]

Not at all.

When there were a bunch of neo-nazis and white supremacists marching through Charleston, I see no reason why the general public should 'accept' that or allow such intimidation to happen. When thousands of dudes literally walked around with torches and shouted hate speech aimed at making certain people feel less than human.

If they were inciting violence, that's a crime, call the police, if not, its a protected act.

[MonsieuRoberts]

It's me, that other Canadian, stepping into a Tennis thread for the first time in weeks to spout my opinion!

In my town they like to hold up huge signs with high resolution fetus corpses and scream at the top of their lungs at anyone who doesn't nod with approval. I've never seen or heard of pro-life people being violent toward anyone in my town specifically, but I've heard it elsewhere. Couldn't imagine what it would be like to be scared and unprepared to be a mother by accident, but also accosted and degraded for trying to make the best choice for yourself. Must be scary to say the least.

Someone who accidentally got pregnant probably has more important things to do or think about than trying to defend themselves against the kind of people that shove gore and corpses into the faces of anyone who passes by, children included. That happens here! They're relentless! These are not people willing to listen to the other side, nor are they open to new perspectives. Not from what I've seen them holding and heard them screaming. They're fanatics whose opinion is the one true fact, and all must be made to comply and agree.

One less obstacle for that pregnant person to deal with seems good to me. They need to be free to do what they believe is right, not what the screeching mob believes is right.

[kail]

How "near"? Preventing (peaceful) protests on a public street is restricting the right of expression no matter how you spin it.

[Masark]

How "near"?

50 metres.

[kail]

50 metres.

Sounds reasonable.

[jellmoo]

"Emotional well being"

Fuck their "emotional well being." I 100% support abortions but banning protests because it's something offensive is a horrible idea.

These are women making an incredibly difficult decision that is going to have lasting emotional and potentially physical repercussions for them. Some people don't like it and want to harass them for something that is none of their fucking business? No. Fuck them. They can start a blog or write on Facebook or whatever the hell they want. Getting involved in one of the hardest moments of a woman's life because you don't like it? They should absolutely be banned from those locations.

[Ahovv]

These are women making an incredibly difficult decision that is going to have lasting emotional and potentially physical repercussions for them. Some people don't like it and want to harass them for something that is none of their fucking business? No. Fuck them. They can start a blog or write on Facebook or whatever the hell they want. Getting involved in one of the hardest moments of a woman's life because you don't like it? They should absolutely be banned from those locations.

Such a brave stance! What other locations shall we make emotional appeals to restrict speech, or is this somehow only limited to abortion clinics?