Charleston Council committee passes ordinance on facilities access

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A committee of the Charleston City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday aimed at allowing people to visit health facilities without being stopped by protesters or others outside of buildings.

The Ordinance and Rules Committee passed Bill 7819 in a 6-1 vote before a packed council chamber. Pro-abortion and anti-abortion activists attended the meeting, although no public comments were allowed.

The bill would prohibit anyone from knowingly blocking an entrance to a health care facility or a parking lot to a facility. The measure would create a buffer zone of 100 feet of the facility’s entrance. A protester would not be able to be within eight feet of a person unless first given consent.

Anyone found guilty of doing such could be punished with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

Councilmember-at-large Caitlin Cook introduced the measure with the support of Charleston Police Chief Opie Smith and city attorney Kevin Baker.

Smith told reporters the legislation is in light of protests outside of the Women’s Health Center on Charleston’s West Side, which offers multiple procedures including abortions.

“I had complaints of them being intimidating,” Smith said of the protesters. “We want something in place that we can use to prevent it from becoming violent. We just don’t want an act of violence.”

The bill is based on a Colorado law; a 2014 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a six-foot buffer zone when a person was within 18 feet of a health care clinic.

Smith said police will respond to the facility if there is an incident, but they will not be monitoring the area if the bill becomes law.

“We want to educate the protesters. This is the ordinance. This is what you need to do. Hopefully, this will resolve everything,” he said.

Councilmember Courtney Persinger voted against the bill. He said during the meeting he wants existing laws to be enforced first before new laws are created. He declined to speak to MetroNews affiliate WCHS-AM following the meeting.





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