Abortion Clinic "Safety Zone" Overturned In Clearwater, Florida

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Alabama, Florida, and Georgia) has remanded for a preliminary injunction an abortion clinic safety zone case back to the lower court. Sounds like they may need more clinic escorts to ensure people aren't being intimidated!

A three-judge panel on the 11th Circuit wrote: "Seeking to protect the safety of those driving into and out of the parking lot of a local abortion clinic, the City of Clearwater, Florida created a “vehicular safety zone.” The buffer zone applied to most pedestrians, forbidding entrance to a 38-foot stretch of public sidewalk (28 feet of which cross the clinic’s driveway) during business hours."

The pro-lifers claim the safety zone around the Bread And Roses Woman's Health Center in Clearwater, FL impedes their First Amendment rights. The "sidewalk counselors" hang out and harass any pedestrians or vehicles they see coming near the clinic, so a safety zone was established by the city. The 11th Circuit thinks the First Amendment concerns prevail in this case because of the SCOTUS ruling in McCullen v. Coakley.

Here's their full 38-page opinion.