The Minneapolis City Council is poised to pass a proposal that would make it illegal to obstruct the entrances and driveways of abortion clinics.
Minneapolis City Council considers law to create safety zone outside abortion clinics
The law would prevent people from obstructing driveways and entrances to the facilities.
November 9, 2022 at 11:44PM
During a Public Health and Safety Committee public hearing Wednesday, staff from Planned Parenthood's Minneapolis Health Center told officials that a recent uptick in protests has endangered drivers and pedestrians. The Uptown clinic is the only facility in the city that performs abortions.
Similar laws prohibiting obstruction at abortion clinics exist at the federal and state levels, but a local ordinance would give police more enforcement capabilities.
"We're not doing this to make a point. We're doing it to make a difference in the lives of women seeking reproductive health care," said Council Member Lisa Goodman, who authored the ordinance.
Planned Parenthood workers and volunteers testified that since the U.S. Supreme Court in late June overturned Roe v. Wade, which had for nearly half a century guaranteed a federal right to abortion, anti-abortion protesters have shown up in greater numbers and acted more aggressively. The health center's parking lot is located off a busy street, where staff members and volunteers said they've seen near-crashes multiple times.
"We're trying to get ahead of that before an accident happens," Tim Stanley, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said in an interview. "It really puts public safety at risk."
The ordinance would allow the clinic to permanently mark its driveway boundaries. Protesters would still be able to stand on the sidewalk near the clinic, as long as they do not obstruct people entering or exiting the building.
The intent of the ordinance is to "offer additional protections for reproductive health care facilities in Minneapolis while still protecting the first amendment rights of anti-abortion protestors," a staff report said.
Other cities and states have successfully legalized safety zones around abortion clinics, including a Colorado statute that made it illegal for speakers to approach people within 100 feet of a health care facility without consent. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that policy in a 2000 decision, but in 2014 it struck down a Massachusetts law that created a more general buffer zone around abortion clinics, saying it was too restrictive of free speech.
With other states now poised to ban or limit abortions, Minnesota is expected to become an island in the Midwest for patients seeking them. After a slate of victories in Tuesday's elections, Democrats said they are poised to codify abortion protections into state law next legislative session.
Minneapolis' elected leaders have been calling for such action from the state since the summer. Mayor Jacob Frey in August signed an executive order limiting city employees' abilities to assist agencies that might attempt to prosecute people seeking abortions.
Frey also included $300,000 for "abortion access" in his budget proposal for 2023, though the mayor said Wednesday that the city is still determining how that money could be best spent.
One option could be security for clinics, said Frey, adding that he supports the proposed ordinance. The council will likely take a final vote on the measure Nov. 17.
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