New York City Council Passes Clinic Protection Bill
April 6, 2009
Last week, the New York City Council passed a bill to address incidents of harassment and protect access to reproductive health clinics. The new legislation allows police to arrest anyone obstructing the entrance to a reproductive health clinic, and permits clinic workers as well as patients to file charges against protesters.
This bill was first proposed in September of last year by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in response to incidents of harassment, which included doctors being forced to the ground and clinic entrances being blocked. This legislation has enjoyed widespread support from the public, as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg.