WINNIPEG, Manitoba (LifeSiteNews) — The far-left Manitoba government officially enacted “buffer zones” around abortion clinics to restrict pro-life activism.
In a press release last week, the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP) government announced its “buffer zone” legislation prohibiting pro-life activism within 50 meters of an abortion clinic was going into effect on February 1.
“The Safe Access to Abortion Services Act prohibits protests, demonstrations or picketing within buffer zones to protect patients and providers against harassment and intimidation,” reads the press release, citing Nahanni Fontaine, the minister responsible for women and gender equity.
“The legislation requires safety perimeters around clinics whose primary purpose is to provide abortion services,” the press release continued. “Other facilities that provide surgical or medical abortion services such as hospitals, pharmacies, doctors’ offices and health-care facilities have the option of requesting a buffer zone be established around their sites.”
As the law stands, the 50-meter buffer zone can be increased to 150 meters upon request.
It is worth noting that the press release makes no mention of the concern for babies killed by abortion or that fact that in Manitoba, like all Canadian provinces, there are no laws regulating abortion based on gestational age or other metrics, meaning that abortion is allowed for any reason up until the moment of birth. Moreover, the Catholic Church infallibly teaches that abortion at any point of pregnancy is a sin of grave matter and cannot be permitted under any circumstances.
Manitoba’s introduction of a buffer zone law comes after similar laws were put in place in the provinces of British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.
In 2017, Ontario passed the misleadingly titled “Safe Access to Abortion Act” that also barred pro-life activists from demonstrating or ministering within 50 meters (roughly 150 feet) of the property line of an abortion clinic.
In 2018, Alberta passed a similar province-wide “bubble zone” law that came into force under then-Premier Rachel Notley of the NDP. The law makes it illegal for pro-lifers and counselors to come within 50 meters of an abortion facility for any activism-related purposes.