Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past week, chances are you’ve heard about two rulings passed down from the Supreme Court of the United States that strike large blows to our access to reproductive healthcare. The first of these rulings struck down the 35 foot buffer zone that exists outside of Massachusetts abortion clinics and the second ruled that employers could refuse to cover an employee’s contraception if it goes against said employer’s religious beliefs. Both of these rulings are troubling for a variety of reasons, and while it might seem obvious why an anti-street harassment organization is addressing the buffer zone ruling, we have good reason to be publicly addressing both of these rulings. Because street harassment and reproductive justice are two pieces of the same pie– both of these issues make up the larger fight against the patriarchy and our society that tries to control women’s bodies, along with the bodies of anyone trans* or gender non-conforming or queer, too.
According to research complied by Nikki Tuttle, Hollaback!’s LSRJ Summer Intern, reproductive justice focuses on the “control and exploitation of women’s bodies, sexuality and reproduction as an effective strategy of controlling women and communities,” because controlling a woman’s body consequently “controls her life, options, and potential.”[1] Similarly, street harassment negatively impacts and ultimately controls women (and female-identified persons) by denigrating and exploiting their physical appearance (including gender presentation and bodies), their social and community status (through stereotyping), their sexuality, and their reproductive potential. We can, of course, expand this to include trans*, gender non-conforming, and queer bodies, too. We know that women are not the only people accessing reproductive healthcare, just like we know that women are not the only people whose bodies are commented on when they are in public space.
Both of these rulings by the SCOTUS are further attempts to control what marginalized populations do with their bodies, and this time that message has been sent from one of the most powerful institutions in the country. Is it any wonder that the fight to end gender-based violence seems futile at times? How can we expect the general population to get the message that everyone should be treated equally, that men are not entitled to women and trans* folks’ bodies, that harassment is a form of violence when the highest court in the nation is sending the opposite message? These decisions are basically making misogyny explicitly acceptable.
For our work here in Boston, the buffer zone ruling will have immediate effects, which we joined Mara Dolan on her radio show to discuss. By eradicating the buffer zone, any semblance of safety has also been eradicated. The buffer zone was the one thing that gave the impression to people entering clinics that their safety mattered and that there was some form of protection over it. If we’re striving to ensure safe public space for all through our work as Hollaback! Boston, this ruling is indeed a step back. Everyone should have the right to access necessary healthcare services or go to work without the threat of harassment, violence, and intimidation. And violence is a very real threat. Let’s not forget that the buffer zone was put in place following the 1994 murders of two staff members at Boston abortion clinics. Still not convinced? Read about Michelle Kinsey Burns’ experiences as a clinic escort. It’s frightening.
And it’s not just people entering the clinics that are affected by this ruling. In the week since it came down, there has been an uptick in protesters outside of the Planned Parenthood in Boston. These protesters disrupt the lives of anyone walking down the street. Protester Connie Cronin told the Globe that she can spot Planned Parenthood patients from down the street. “As soon as she sees her marks, Cronin is off, crossing the street to meet them long before they get to the clinic building. She begs them to reconsider, asks if they need help, keeps her pictures of fetal development ready in a Ziploc bag.” Not only is this disruptive to the people who actually are headed towards Planned Parenthood (and might very well be going for one of the many other services they provide; abortions make up less than 3% of their services), but it’s disruptive and upsetting to people who are just trying to go to school or work or the grocery store and aren’t even heading into the clinic.
We know that Boston has been especially focused on ensuring that our public spaces are safe for people who occupy them. This ruling makes for very unsafe public space outside of our abortion clinics, not just for patients, but for staff and citizens, too. On the plus side, the ruling “does not directly affect the buffer zones in other states and cities, and the justices indicated that more limited restrictions could be put into place in Massachusetts.” Like the upskirting law, it appears that a loophole in the language of the law itself was the issue. Hopefully lawmakers can rectify that quickly, like we saw with the upskirting law. And according to Politico, “Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said she had spoken with Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and state lawmakers shortly after the ruling, and all were committed to moving quickly to protecting women’s access to the five clinics affected. Massachusetts officials will seek court injunctions and other actions against protesters who threaten women’s safety, as well as work with law enforcement, Coakley said.”
Here at Hollaback! Boston, we stand in solidarity with all patients, staff, workers, escorts, and citizens who are affected by these rulings. And if you experience harassment outside of a clinic, whether you’re a patient, staff, or passerby, feel free to submit your story to our website. We accept stories of clinic harassment, too.
In order to continue to fight, we have agreed to #jointhedissent. We’re sponsoring a rally along with ACLU of Massachusetts, The Connors Center, Mass NOW, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice to send the message that these rulings are unacceptable and make our city and state unsafe for people living here. We are committed to our work to make Boston as safe as possible for the people who live here, and we plan to fight for everyone’s bodily autonomy. Join us at the rally TOMORROW, July 8th at 5 PM in City Hall Plaza.
[1] ACRJ, A New Vision for Advancing our movement for Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Justice (2005)(“historically and currently, a women’s lack of power and self-determination is mediated through the multiple oppressions of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, age and immigration status”).
image credits: 1-Hollaback! Boston; 2-NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts
