Groups at odds over 150-metre ‘bubble’ zone at hospital
Months after Windsor Regional Hospital’s board of directors announced its decision not to apply for a 150-metre demonstration-free zone around its Met campus, a local feminist group continues to push for change.
During the board’s monthly meeting Thursday night, Feminists for Action Windsor presented a list of reasons why the hospital should still apply for what the province calls a “safe access zone,” which aims to protect abortion services.
The group’s reasons included preventing harassment and violence against women, and making the hospital a provincial trailblazer by being the first to implement the protective “bubble.”
“The presentation was geared towards convincing Windsor Regional that this is not only necessary for its patients but beneficial for the institution itself,” said Lauren Crowley, co-founder of Feminists for Action Windsor.
“The interest in adding the bubble zone is about protecting patients,” Crowley said. “It’s about ensuring that patients and their families can access these services and the hospital without being reminded of any other fertility or birthing issues that they may or may not have faced in the past.”
Provincial legislation passed in 2017 — the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act — created safe access zones of 50 metres around abortion clinics, starting at the outer boundaries of the property. But that restriction does not apply to hospitals.
The Act gives any health-care facility where abortions are performed the opportunity to apply for the 150-metre protection from demonstrations.
In a letter dated Aug. 28, the hospital said its board of directors contacted the office of the Attorney General of Ontario, and have “closely monitored” efforts of advocates on both sides of the issue. After some study, the board determined the current 50-metre rule had not compromised safe access for patients seeking abortion. It also determined the 150-metre rule would push protesters to “an alternate high-traffic public road such as Walker Road.”
Those factors led to the board’s decision not to apply for the 150-metre safe access zone.
With no buffer zone in place, anti-abortion protesters can currently demonstrate close to the Windsor hospital.
Laurie Eberhardt, campaign coordinator for the Windsor sect of 40 Days for Life — a Christian-based anti-abortion campaign — also spoke at Thursday’s meeting. Her group demonstrates 80 days of the year on the Tecumseh Road East sidewalk in front of the Met campus. It has an agreement with the hospital not to hold its peaceful prayer vigils anywhere closer.
Eberhardt said the safe access zone is not necessary.
“It’s an extreme intrusion against our freedom of expression and freedom of religion,” she said. “We’re already a city block away from the front doors of the hospital.”
Crowley said by not having a demonstration-free space around the hospital, groups less peaceful and “more problematic” than 40 Days for Life could occupy that space.
“We think this is an excellent opportunity for Windsor Regional Hospital to take a position and be community leaders for women’s health and women’s care. We’re really hoping Windsor Regional Hospital considers this request and makes the move to apply for the bubble zone.”