“Representative JR Hoell, Merrimack District 23, calls upon Democrat Speaker Teri Norelli to issue a call of the NH House of Representatives to allow introduction and passage of legislation repealing SB 319. Known as the “Buffer Bill”, SB 319 made illegal “enter[ing] or remain[ing] on a public way or sidewalk adjacent to a reproductive health care facility within a radius up to 25 feet of any portion of an entrance, exit, or driveway of a reproductive health care facility.”.
Rep. Hoell went on to say:
“Constitution rights regarding free speech can never be eliminated just because it is offensive to some. The rights enumerated in our Constitution protect all individuals and should never be trampled by those in positions of political power”.
A unanimous 9-0 vote of the US Supreme Court today struck down the Massachusetts “buffer zone law” signed into law by Governor Duvall Patrick, November 13, 2007, which required a 35-foot buffer around “reproductive clinics”. “The nation’s highest court unanimously said the measure, which prevented people from handing out leaflets and starting conversations with women entering clinics, ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees”, wrote Greg Stohr and Andrew Harris in Bloomberg this afternoon.
Signed by Governor Hassan on June 10, 2014, a swift repeal by the NH House could prevent this now unconstitutional law from reaching its scheduled effective date of Thursday, July 10, 2014.