The Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday by voice vote passed a bill that would expand abortion clinic buffer zones from 18 feet to 35 feet, the Boston Globe reports (Simpson, Boston Globe, 10/24).

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, 1/3). There have been no successful prosecutions under the law because officials are not clear how to prove patient consent or refusal when protesters approach.

Some supporters of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Harriette Chandler (D), said the measure would protect women from intimidation and allow for easier prosecution of violators. "We're not talking about denying people the right to have freedom of speech," Chandler said, adding, "What we're talking about is allowing people to access health care." However, Marie Sturgis, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, said that the legislation would "infring[e] on the pro-lifers' ability to reach out to women in crisis who need vital information."

Gov. Deval Patrick (D) in a statement said that the bill would "protect patients from the abuse that so many [women] have encountered as they seek care." The measure now heads to the House, where at least 75 lawmakers have said they support it (Boston Globe, 10/24). A spokesperson for House Speaker Sal DiMasi (D), who supports the measure, said the bill will be acted on quickly in the chamber (AP/Eyewitness News, 10/23).