LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An ordinance that would have allowed for the creation of safety buffer zones outside Louisville's medical centers, including the state's only abortion clinic, failed by a 13-12 vote from Metro Council on Thursday evening.
Six Democrats on Council joined seven Republicans in voting against the ordinance, which would have allowed the creation of safety buffer zones measuring from the entrance of a health care facility to the closest street curb and 12 feet from side to side. Those Council Democrats were: Pat Mulvihill, D-10, Rick Blackwell, D-12, Mark Fox, D-13, Cindi Fowler, D-14, Madonna Flood, D-24, and David Yates, D-25.
For years, pro-life counselors and other protesters have gathered outside the EMW Women's Surgical Center on Market Street to confront or persuade patients who are considering abortion. In response, a group called Louisville Safety Zone lobbied Metro Council for an ordinance protecting those patients from being accosted both verbally and physically.
Council limited debate over the ordinance to 90 minutes on Thursday. Some Council members and citizens argued the ordinance was about safety, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I believe it will improve public safety," said Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9. "I think it will protect access to medical care and I think, and this is very important to me, that it will protect protesters' rights."
EMW Women's Surgical Center on Market Street
Others, however, worried it would restrict protections guaranteed by the First Amendment.
"There is not a safety issue," said Councilman Robin Engel, D-22. "There is not a healthcare issue at EMW. Everybody is peacefully assembling."
Some Democrats had hoped to amend the ordinance to allow better enforcement of it. The amendment failed, however, and they ran out of time to take up other possible amendments.
In a tweet reacting to the ordinance's failure, the National Institute for Reproductive Health said, "Louisville Metro Council let the community down tonight by failing to take a simple action to protect clinic staff and patients seeking abortion care in Louisville."
To watch the meeting in full, visit Louisville Metro Council's Facebook page.
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