The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance to curb free speech activities outside of – you guessed it – abortion clinics. San Francisco currently has a “bubble zone” ordinance that restricts the free speech activities of pro-life advocates. The new measure would expand this into a “speech-free zone,” a permanent 25-foot buffer zone around an abortion clinic’s “entrance, exit or driveway.” The ordinance would be enforced through criminal sanctions, including jail time, as well as a private right of action.
LLDF’s Legal Director, Katie Short has written a letter of opposition to the Board of Supervisors, urging them to reject this repressive ordinance. The letter, set out in full below, focuses on the constitutional infirmities from which this measure suffers.