Hospital asks province for buffer from protests
Windsor Regional Hospital is asking the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario for information about a “safe access zone” for abortion services that would push protesters 150 metres away from the hospital property line. On Sunday, the WRH board of directors announced that a letter was sent to the attorney general “to determine what information is required to make an application for a safe access zone and the possible approval timing of said application.”
The letter comes after an online petition and awareness campaign by the recently-formed Windsor group Feminists for Action, who are seeking the “bubble-zone protection” under the belief that women who need to terminate pregnancy should be able to do so “without being shamed by anti-abortion activists.”
To date, the petition by Feminists for Action has attracted more than 1,000 signees. Anti-abortion protesters are planning to hold their annual 40 Days For Life demonstration from March 6 to April 14.
Their campaign involves daily vigils and anti-abortion signs around the Windsor Regional Hospital’s Met Campus, specifically on the sidewalks of Tecumseh Road East. If Windsor Regional Hospital receives 150-metre “access zone” designation from the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Health, Tecumseh Road East and other surrounding streets would no longer be legal protest areas.
Feminists for Action note that at 150 metres distance from the property line, protest signs and placards of any kind will not be visible by those accessing abortion services.
In a statement Sunday, WRH said: “We have been informed that no hospitals who have applied for a 150-metre access zone have been approved anywhere in the province, as of today.”
The WRH board of directors emphasized that due diligence was undertaken before the letter to the Ministry of the Attorney General was sent. Feedback from “front-line employees, professional staff, and patients” was reviewed. The relatively new “safe access” legislation was reviewed. The practices of other Ontario hospitals and the impact of making an application for the Met Campus were examined. It’s not known when the Ministry of the Attorney General will respond to the letter. “In the meantime, the status quo will be maintained,” WRH stated. “We would continue to appreciate that any advocacy on either side of this issue be safe and respectful and remain limited to Tecumseh Road only.”
“If there are any issues, we will be reaching out to authorities to help address.” “We will continue to monitor this issue and update the community on any feedback received from the Attorney General of Ontario.” Advocates of 40 Days for Life say their rights would be infringed if they were forced further back. “Bubble zones don’t protect anyone or their access to abortion in any way that isn’t already protected by our Criminal Code, but they stop Ontarians from expressing their beliefs around abortion clinics,” said Tabitha Ewert, legal counsel for We Need a Law, a national anti-abortion advocacy group.
“The demonstrators are there because they believe that abortion is harmful for both women and their preborn children. They are concerned for their neighbours and want to express that in a peaceful manner.
“In Canada, they should have the freedom to do so.” Meanwhile, Feminists For Action are planning a demonstration of their own at the Met Campus on March 23. Supporters of “bubble-zone protection” are being asked to stand on Tecumseh Road East in front of the hospital from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Bring your signs, bring a friend, and bring bubbles (No really, bring bubbles!),” the group urges on their Facebook page.
“Be a supportive and empowering symbol for individuals seeking or who have sought abortion services.” “Do not engage with anti-abortion protesters.”