NDP legislation tabled Thursday forces protesters to stay at least 50 metres away from Alberta abortion clinics and prohibits them from taking unwanted photos or videos.
If approved, Bill 9 — called the Protecting Choice for Women Accessing Health Care Act — would bring Alberta in line with other provinces including British Columbia and Ontario.
Women shouldn’t be subject to intimidation, harassment or bullying when they access legal health-care services, said Health Minister Sarah Hoffman at a news conference.
Two clinics that perform more than 75 per cent of the province’s abortions are protected under the legislation. They currently rely on court injunctions to prevent protesters from approaching patients or employees.
Protesters face up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail for a first offence under Bill 9. There are harsher penalties for subsequent offences, including fines up to $10,000 and one year in prison.
Taking photos and videos of patients or staff within the zone are banned unless consent is given. That applies to recordings taken by protesters while they are standing outside the zone.
Doctors and staff can request extended buffer zones up to 160 metres for their homes or 20 metres for an office.
But the proposed rules don’t apply to protesters on private property, meaning that anti-abortion centres located within 50 metres of clinics or offices won’t need to move. That’s the case for The Back Porch, an anti-abortion centre across the street from Cholewa’s clinic.
“We don’t ban animal rights demonstrators from gathering on public property outside of the (Calgary) Stampede, so why should we ban pro-lifers from gathering on public property outside of a clinic?”
The pro-choice organization Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights lauded the bill.
The official Opposition hasn’t commented on the legislation.