Ontario legislature bans protests outside abortion clinics

Lawmakers in Ontario, Canada have passed a bill to put anti-choice shriekers in their place – specifically, well away from abortion clinics and the people who want to visit them in peace:

The legislature passed a bill Wednesday to create zones around the eight clinics in the province of between 50 and 150 metres in which anti-abortion protests, advising a person not to get an abortion, and intimidation or interfering with a woman's ability to access the services will be banned.

The ban will also automatically apply to 150 metres around the homes of abortion staff and health professionals who provide the services.

Attorney General Yasir Naqvi cheered that all three parties worked together to pass the legislation on a sped-up timeline.

It’s a sign of the times (at least in Canada) that even conservatives voted unanimously for the bill (with the footnote that a few were absent). Meanwhile, just south of the border, it’s anyone’s guess whether a majority of US Democrats would support such a measure, particularly with all the screaming that would be sure to come from Republicans and the anti-choice lobby (but I repeat myself).

At least in one territory, the needy and vulnerable can seek the medical care they need without having to withstand a barrage of obsessive lunatics first.