San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott announced she wants to update local laws protecting patients accessing reproductive health care from harassment and intimidation.
“As everyone knows reproductive rights are under attack in this country,” said Elliott. “The shocking decision by the Alabama Supreme Court this month is only the most recent example. California has chosen a different course. We have chosen to lead on this issue.”
Elliott’s office said it’s been working on updating local laws since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly two years ago.
According to Elliott, the law on the books now states that if a patient is going to a clinic and they don’t want to be approached by a protestor or someone with pamphlets, the patient is required to tell that person to back away.
Elliott wants to change that and instead put the burden on the protestor.
She plans to propose a law similar to one passed recently in Sacramento, which states no one within 100 feet of the entrance to a health care facility can get within eight feet of someone trying to get in or out of that facility in order to harass or intimidate the person.
Elliott said this law would also apply to protestors outside of churches as well as schools.
Her office plans to introduce an ordinance at a public safety committee meeting in March. If passed by the committee, it would need approval by the San Diego City Council.
From CBS Channel 8 News
Do not comply with Moloch Elliott’s orders.
I agree with this proposed law. Note that it would apply to protestors at churches and schools too. Everyone is treated equally, and nobody will be subjected to harassment or being accosted while going about their business.
Employees “Going about their business” of murdering babies in the womb is hardly comparable to people in other businesses being slightly inconvenienced by a protestor or two.
You need to address your efforts to the legislature and try to change the law. The fact is abortion is legal, and you do not have the right to harass anyone seeking lawful abortion services when they are entering or exiting the business. Just because you favor the harassment in this instance doesn’t mean it’s not harassment.
The downthumbs to this comment are why white Christian nationalism is something to oppose. The WCNs don’t want freedom for anyone except their own people. They don’t want laws except those that they approve. They think the laws don’t apply to them if they disagree with the laws.
If you’ve ever been to the prayers outside the Downtown Planned Parenthood, you would notice that a lot of these people praying are Mexican women. Even a few Filipinos here and there. Not only are you campaigning for the murder of babies in the womb, but you’re also inciting anti-White hatred.
Amen to that, Aloysius.
Her comment was about downthummers, not people praying on the sidewalk.
Goalposts
“…white Christian nationalism is something to oppose…” Dear Sir/madame, it was only a very short time ago that no one had any idea what “Christian nationalism” meant. And I would personally challenge you to give an intelligent, coherent definition of this new term. Your characterization of WCNs is a complete falsehood, a red-herring, an obfuscation concealing the deep moral issues at stake. I would suggest there are many laws on the books that are inimical to Christian sensibilities, but that is the price to be paid to live in a democracy. So if there is a law you oppose, welcome to the club. We have to get along, so please avoid trite and trivial characterizations of anyone.
It is not okay to be “morally neutral” on sidewalk counselors. Trying to convince a woman not to murder the infant in her womb is not “harassment” as Mara Elliott claims. Sidewalk counselor bans and the FACE Act try to treat protest against murder and affronts to God (abortionists violating church property) as morally the same, when they are absolutely not.
Your “sidewalk counselor” is another person’s harasser. Change the laws instead of interfering with people going about their lives.
” Change the laws instead of interfering with people going about their lives.” How ironic – Mara Elliott is trying to change the laws. Now a question for you, sidewalk counselor (an ironic label): did Jesus in his preaching repentance avoid interfering with people’s lives? Consider this: His whole life and ministry was construed as harassment of the established order by His enemies. Finally, do you not see the value of saving innocent human lives?
Would a civilian counseling officials charged with the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 or Nuremberg Laws of 1935 also constitute “harassment?
Are human beings being killed at churches?
That’s not relevant to whether an aggressive confrontation — whatever the motivation or reason — constitutes harassment.
Do you consider all sidewalk counseling to be “aggressive confrontation” and “harassment “?
8 feet is not very much.
100 feet from the door is not that much.
Pick your battles.
Abortions are legal in our state. If you want to make them illegal you must elect legislators who will outlaw the practice.
That won’t be easy. The California Assembly has 18 Republicans and 62 Democrats and the California Senate has 8 Republicans and 32 Democrats.
So, that is the challenge. How do you flip 23 Assembly seats and 24 Senate seats? From a practical point of view, you are talking about a 20-30 year project.
Who wants to go first?
Mass incarceration of politicians for promoting immorality (trans children, AIDS fetishism) at a federal level would be cool. It would get rid of Scott Wiener and his friends.
“As everyone knows reproductive rights are under attack in this country.” This is not true. People are freely and actively doing what they need to do to reproduce. What they need to do is to take control of their passions and live a chaste life until they want a child.
Catholics don’t accept “reproductive rights.”
They use “reproductive rights” as code for abortion, as you well know. Just as you probably use “religious liberty” as code for white Christian theocratic nationalism.
California needs to repent or it will face God’s judgement soon.