New York attorney general sues anti-abortion protesters
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has sued anti-abortion protesters for allegedly menacing patients and staff at a clinic in Queens.
The federal lawsuit (PDF) filed Tuesday alleges “a weekly pattern of threatening, obstructive, and violent activity” at the Choices Women’s Medical Center. The suit seeks a preliminary injunction, creation of a 16-foot buffer zone and civil penalties.
“Since 2012,” the suit alleges, “protesters have subjected incoming patients to a barrage of unwanted physical contact, as well as verbal abuse, threats of harm, and lies about the clinic’s hours and its services. Protesters descend on approaching patients to harangue them, sometimes pinning them against the clinic’s exterior wall or parking meters, and even forcing them into the street and oncoming traffic as they try to escape the protesters.”
The suit claims violations of federal and state laws that prohibit obstructing access to reproductive health clinics, according to a press release.
