Oral argument in Reilly v. City of Harrisburg — an ongoing anti-abortion challenge to Harrisburg’s buffer zone ordinance — will take place Thursday, June 8, at 9:00 AM at the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse in Philadelphia.
Audio will be livestreamed here.
“A person should not be forced to face harassment or violence simply for seeking healthcare,” says WLP staff attorney Maggie Neely, who coauthored the latest amicus brief filed in this case. “Unfortunately, anti-abortion activists continue to harass patients and clinic staff in Pennsylvania. Recently, anti-abortion harassers invaded two clinics, terrorized staff, and successfully disrupted the provision of healthcare. We must protect patients and staff from anti-abortion extremists.”
Women’s Law Project has been defending buffer zones in Pennsylvania since 2005 and supporting the City of Harrisburg in defending its buffer zone since 2016. WLP represents witnesses in the case and is counsel for amici curiae Physicians for Reproductive Health and Pittsburgh Pro-Choice Escorts supporting the City of Harrisburg.
Anti-Abortion Violence is Rising—Especially in States like Pennsylvania
According to the 2022 Violence & Disruption Statistics report, facilities providing abortion care have experienced a rising number of major anti-abortion incidents like arsons, burglaries, death threats, and clinic invasions overall and a sharp increase in violence and disruption in states that are protective of abortion rights—like Pennsylvania.
Buffer Zone Background
Buffer zones are limited, fixed areas surrounding the entrance of a building designed to protect patients and facility employees from harassment, obstruction, and potential violence. Two of the few continuously-enforced statutory buffer zones in the country remain in effect in Pennsylvania: one in Pittsburgh, and one in Harrisburg.
Harrisburg’s statutory buffer zone was implemented in 2012 after continuous reports of harassment, obstruction, and conflict outside a Planned Parenthood facility.
Under the ordinance, it is illegal for anyone other than police or emergency personnel performing official functions and facility employees helping patients enter or exit the building to “knowingly congregate, patrol, picket or demonstrate in a zone extending 20 feet from any portion of an entrance to, exit from, or driveway of a health care facility.”
Harrisburg’s statutory buffer zone was established in the wake of an anti-abortion harassment campaign that included pounding on clinic windows, following clinic staff, and trespassing to photograph patients against their will.
Women’s Law Project is a non-profit public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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