Expansion of abortion clinic buffer zone to 35 feet passes House. Governor has promised he'd sign it. Result of emasculated pro-life movement.

Late yesterday, as expected, the Massachusetts House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the expanded "buffer zone" bill. Several days ago the Senate also passed it, and it's expected to be signed by the Governor.  As the Associated Press wrote:

BOSTON (NOV 1) --House lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved a bill to expand protest-free zones around abortion clinics.

The bill would give Massachusetts among the strongest "buffer zone" laws in the nation, creating a hard 35-foot perimeter around a clinic's entrances and driveways.

Abortion rights advocates have criticized the existing law, which prohibits anyone within 18 feet of the entrance or driveway from approaching another person within 6 feet to hand out a leaflet or counsel that person without their consent.

Advocates said the "floating buffer zone" law is unwieldy and hard to enforce. Abortion opponents say the new bill restricts their free-speech rights.

The Senate has passed the bill and Gov. Deval Patrick has said he supports it.

Text of the bill (we'll try to get the roll call vote.) :
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st01/st01353.htm

There's a very good reason why the abortion industry wants this so badly: So far this year -- even with the current buffer zone restrictions -- 79 babies have been saved from abortions by Operation Rescue via their sidewalk counseling. That's 79 people that will be able to live on this earth, who would have been brutally murdered in an abortion. So naturally, the abortion lobby wants to expand the barrier to an unbelievable 35 feet!

And as Bill Cotter, leader of Operation Rescue said,

This measure is a direct and chilling assault on constitutionally protected guarantees to freedom of speech and to the free exercise of religion found in both the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article II of the Declaration of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution. This proposed law will do nothing to ensure public safety, but will do everything to advance the financial interests of the abortion industry. It will not prevent a single act of violence, but will impose impossibly onerous and burdensome restrictions on lawful non-violent protests, including peaceful prayer on public sidewalks.

An indictment of the pro-life movement in Massachusetts

Sadly, Operation Rescue is the only pro-life group in Massachusetts that's in any way effective. 

The "mainstream" pro-life movement, which rakes in the overwhelming amount of money and all the "respectability", is a disgrace. They have lots of meetings and fancy dinners and pro-life walks around the Boston Common. They're nice and "moderate" -- they don't use descriptive language to describe abortions and they keep their distance from the Bill Cotters of the world. But they've sold their souls.

They gave their annual "leadership award" to Gov. Mitt Romney, weeks after he signed a law that includes publicly funded abortions and establishes Planned Parenthood in an official advisory role (and after Romney donated $15,000 to Mass. Citizens for Life). 

They harassed and insulted one of their own Board members, John O'Gorman, when he demanded that the Knights of Columbus remove pro-abortion legislators from their membership.

But what's probably the worst in our opinion, is the recent widespread public support -- both organizational and financial -- from high-profile "pro-family" in Massachusetts groups to a Republican US Congress candidate who publicly supports abortion, in last month's special 5th district election. Yes, we've heard the excuses -- that he would have been "better" than his Democrat opponent (who won the election anyway).

But we lost a lot more than just an election. It was a very public demonstration that the pro-life community isn't serious about its core principles.  If our side is willing to sell out that easily, why should the Legislature care what we think about abortion? 

Yesterday's vote was an inevitable result. And it won't be the last.