Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Receives Supreme Court Review

The U.S. Supreme Court accepted a case that promises to redefine the speech rights of abortion opponents, agreeing to rule on a Massachusetts law that creates a 35-foot buffer zone around clinic entrances.

The justices today said they will hear an appeal from abortion foes seeking to overturn the Massachusetts law as a violation of the First Amendment. The challengers say they have a right to hand out leaflets and start conversations with women entering abortion clinics.

A Boston-based federal appeals court upheld the measure, pointing to a 2000 Supreme Court decision that upheld Colorado restrictions on abortion clinic protests.

Massachusetts enacted the law in 2007, strengthening an existing measure that had required a 6-foot buffer zone at abortion clinics. The new law makes it a crime to “knowingly enter or remain” in an area within 35 feet of a clinic entrance, exit or driveway. The measure exempts clinic employees and people entering or leaving the facility.

The high court’s membership has changed significantly since the 2000 decision. Most notably, two members of that 6-3 majority, Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, are no longer on the court. Their successors, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, are often sympathetic to free-speech claims.

The justices will hear arguments and rule in their 2013-14 term, which starts in October.

The case is McCullen v. Coakley, 12-1168.