Massachusetts lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a bill that would expand abortion clinic buffer zones from 18 feet to 35 feet from a clinic's entrance or driveway, the Boston Globe reports (Helman, Boston Globe, 12/29/05). The current law, which was passed in 2000, requires protesters to stay at least six feet away from clinic employees and patients and establishes an 18-foot zone within which individuals may not interact with clinic visitors or staff for the purpose of counseling or protesting (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/19/05). Proponents of the bill say the current law, which was enacted as a compromise between abortion-rights opponents and supporters, does not protect people entering clinics from potentially dangerous protesters. However, Marie Sturgis, executive and legislative director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, said that increasing the buffer zone would prevent protesters from educating women about alternatives to abortion. Carol Rose -- executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which does not support the legislation -- said the new bill could create uneven boundaries for protesters at clinics, depending on a clinic's location and access. "This presents a situation where two rights are in conflict: the right of people to have access to medical care to which they're entitled and also the right of people to have their opposition to abortion ... be heard," Rose said. Proponents say the bill is modeled after similar state laws that have been upheld in federal courts. Gov. Mitt Romney (R) -- who has said he is "pro-life" but has promised not to change the state's abortion laws -- has not indicated whether he would sign the new bill, and it is unknown if the Legislature would have enough votes to override a veto (Boston Globe, 12/29/05).