Women will have to run the gauntlet again

Supreme Court Eliminates Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones, Allows Bullies To Threaten, Harass Women

By Justin Rosario

Meh. I get that the right-wing of the Supreme Court would want to make it easier for right-wing crazies to torment women but I can’t believe the left-wing voted for this as well:

The Supreme Court unanimously struck down Massachusetts’ abortion buffer zone law on Thursday, ruling in favor of anti-choice protesters who argued that being required to stay 35 feet away from clinic entrances is a violation of their freedom of speech. The decision rolls back a proactive policy intended to safeguard women’s access to reproductive health care in the face of persistent harassment and intimidation from abortion opponents.

Not only does this allow pro-”life” bullies to harass and scream at women trying to enter the clinic, it also makes it easier for a shooter to slip in and do his “godly” work.

The area around the entrance to abortion clinics, particularly in red states, is now going to be filled with unstable “Christians” calling pregnant women whores and murderers. 

They’ll “accidentally” stand in  front of these women and block their progress. 

They’ll “accidentally” bump into clinic workers. Because if there’s one thing America should stand for, it’s physically intimidating women trying to exercise their constitutional right to end a pregnancy and people going to work.

This is another one of those “We’re going to ignore the real world consequences” decisions. It’s not like we weren’t sure if the buffer zones worked to reduce trouble:

According to the National Abortion Federation (NAF), which closely tracks threats and violence against abortion providers across the country, buffer zones have had a measurable impact in the areas where they’re in place. A recent survey conducted among NAF’s member organizations found that 51 percent of facilities in areas with buffer zones reported a decrease in criminal facility after the policy was enacted, and 75 percent of them said it helped improve patients’ and staff members’ ability to access the clinic.

This isn’t exactly rocket science. The closer and more packed a mob gets, the more likely it is to become ugly and/or violent. Especially now with the political atmosphere being as dark as it is. 

It’s so drenched in violent religious rhetoric by the right-wing media, it’s just a matter of time until we see a sharp uptick in violent and deranged “isolated incidents” around abortion clinics.

You know, for “Jesus.”

Author: Justin Rosario Come join me on Facebook, Google Plus, my home blog or just follow me on Twitter@FilthyLbrlScum