The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously Thursday to pass a law making it illegal to obstruct the entrances and driveways of abortion clinics.
Minneapolis law prohibits obstruction of abortion clinics' entrances, driveways
The City Council on Thursday unanimously passed the ordinance, which was then signed by Mayor Jacob Frey.
November 17, 2022 at 7:21PM
Planned Parenthood's Minneapolis Health Center in Uptown has seen a recent uptick in protests that have endangered drivers and pedestrians, according to the clinic's staff and volunteers.
The health center is the only clinic in the city that performs abortions. Its parking lot is off a busy street, where staff members and volunteers said they've seen near-crashes multiple times.
"We want to make sure that people around the country, and specifically in this region, have safe access without obstruction or intrusion to get that necessary reproductive health care that they deserve," said Mayor Jacob Frey, who signed the ordinance into law Thursday.
Similar laws banning obstruction at abortion clinics exist at the federal and state levels, but a local ordinance gives police more enforcement capabilities. Violators of the city ordinance could face misdemeanor charges.
Minneapolis is likely the first locality in Minnesota — and possibly in the Midwest — to implement such a policy, but city officials said they relied on legal precedents set elsewhere to write a law that could withstand potential legal challenges.
"I am very confident that we have been able to narrowly craft an ordinance that affirms everyone's First Amendment right to speak their piece and also affirms everyone's right to access reproductive healthcare," said Council Member Lisa Goodman, the law's primary author.
Planned Parenthood workers and volunteers told the council that protesters have shown up in greater numbers and acted more aggressively since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had for nearly half a century guaranteed a federal right to abortion.
With other states 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 last week's elections, Democrats at the Capitol have pledged to enshrine abortion protections in state law.
"Having the right to an abortion is no right if you don't have access," Goodman said.
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