Aldermen consider tighter restrictions on anti-abortion demonstrators
Posted By Staff On January 24, 2010 @ 10:01 pm In Happening Now | No Comments
By Stuart R. Wahlin
Staff Writer
Jan. 25, the Rockford City Council’s Code and Regulation Committee will discuss a proposed ordinance aimed at preventing individuals from “engaging in prohibited activities” and “prohibiting passage to and from a health care facility.”
In particular, the measure appears to target anti-abortion protesters at the Northern Illinois Women’s Center, 1400 Broadway.
The proposed ordinance was introduced by Ald. Karen Elyea (D-11), who owns a business one block away from the clinic.
Sources indicate the measure is modeled after similar legislation adopted by cities and states throughout the country, including Chicago, which passed a “buffer zone” amendment to its disorderly conduct ordinance last year.
The Chicago ordinance applies a 50-foot radius from the entrance of any medical facility. Within the 50-foot radius, individuals are prohibited from coming within 8 feet of patients or employees, without consent, to speak, distribute literature, display picket signs or protest.
Chicago’s ordinance, violation of which bears a $500 fine, shadows a state law in Colorado with a 100-foot buffer zone. Despite challenges, the Colorado law has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Despite requests by phone and e-mail for comment, the first of which was submitted the evening of Jan. 20, Elyea has not responded. She did, however, provide comments to the daily for a story published to the Web Jan. 24.
Article printed from The Rock River Times: http://rockrivertimes.com
URL to article: http://rockrivertimes.com/2010/01/24/aldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F&title=Aldermen+consider+tighter+restrictions+on+anti-abortion+demonstrators
[2] Image: http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F&title=Aldermen+consider+tighter+restrictions+on+anti-abortion+demonstrators&bodytext=By+Stuart+R.+Wahlin%0D%0AStaff+Writer%0D%0A%0D%0AJan.+25%2C+the+Rockford+City+Council%E2%80%99s+Code+and+Regulation+Committee+will+discuss+a+proposed+ordinance+aimed+at+preventing+individuals+from+%E2%80%9Cengaging+in+prohibited+activities%E2%80%9D+and+%E2%80%9Cprohibiting+passage+to+and+from+a+health+care+facility.%E2%80%9D%0D%0A%0D%0AIn+particular%2C+the+measure+appears
[3] Image: http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F&t=Aldermen+consider+tighter+restrictions+on+anti-abortion+demonstrators
[4] Image: http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F&title=Aldermen+consider+tighter+restrictions+on+anti-abortion+demonstrators
[5] Image: http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F&title=Aldermen+consider+tighter+restrictions+on+anti-abortion+demonstrators
[6] Image: http://twitter.com/home/?status=http%3A%2F%2Frockrivertimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Faldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators%2F
[7] Image: http://rockrivertimes.com/2010/01/24/aldermen-consider-tighter-restrictions-on-anti-abortion-demonstrators/feed
Click here to print.