Planned Parenthood Responds to Announcement that Supreme Court will Hear Challenge to Massachusetts Buffer Zone Law
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Says Buffer Zone protects dignity, privacy and safety for patients and staff.
BOSTON— President and Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM), Martha (Marty) Walz, responded to the announcement that the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Massachusetts Buffer Zone Law in the next session with this statement:
“People seeking health services should be able to do so without fear of violence, harassment or intimidation. The Buffer Zone Law is necessary to ensure the privacy, dignity, and safety of women who seek health care at Planned Parenthood and other medical facilities. That’s why I was a lead sponsor of the 2007 Buffer Zone Law when I served in the House of Representatives. As CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, I’ll keep fighting for this law on behalf of our patients and staff.
“Courts across the country have upheld the constitutionality of buffer zone laws. All of us at Planned Parenthood are grateful for the work of Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is a champion of our state’s Buffer Zone Law, and we are confident she will successfully defend the Buffer Zone Law before the Supreme Court.”
BACKGROUND
First passed in 2000 and expanded in 2007, the Buffer Zone Law in Massachusetts creates a 35-foot, fixed buffer zone around the entrances and driveways of reproductive health care facilities, including Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts health centers in Springfield, Worcester, and Boston.
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Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is the largest freestanding reproductive health care provider and advocate in the state, providing sexual and reproductive health care through nearly 50,000 patient visits per year. 90% of PPLM services are preventive, including lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, testing and treatment for STDs, breast health services, Pap tests, sexual health education and information. For 85 years PPLM has protected and promoted sexual and reproductive health and rights through clinical services, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.pplm.org.
Source
Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts
Contact
Alicia Johnson
Advocacy and Communications Coordinator
(617) 515-0531
Published
June 24, 2013