The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted 16 to 1 during their regular meeting on April 16 at the Michaelian Building County offices in White Plains, and set a Public Hearing date of April 30, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.
The palpable tension could be felt early that evening with representatives from both sides of the issue arriving far in advance of the 6:15 p.m. entrance time and jockeying for one of the ten allotted speaking slots at the "Citizens to be Heard" portion of the meeting. Pointed words were exchanged between Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion's Catherine Lederer-Plaskett and Right to Life Party's Edmund Riely, who arrived later and was speaking to friends at the front of the line. Assuming he was bucking the line, Lederer-Plaskett objected and threatened to call the police. Riely challenged her to call, which she did. The County building's police officer came outside, had some words, and reminded everyone that they operate on an "honor system" once they leave the security check point and travel to the 8th floor Legislative Chambers. No one interferred with or challenged the staging process from that point.
First Amendment proponents were there in larger numbers, holding small signs that read "Please Vote No on Clinic Access Bill". Chairman Jenkins felt obliged to ask participants to hold the signs on their laps so as not to obstruct the view of attendees, although each group sat on opposite sides of the Chamber. Both sides will be heard again at the Public Hearing on April 30. A previous Public Hearing was held on December 12, 2011 on another version of this proposed law, sent back to Committee that night without a vote. It has been vigorously pushed forward again for passage by Legislators Myers, Shimsky and Borgia despite warnings by numerous First Amendment attorneys that the law will not pass Constitutional muster. The Board of Legislators face legal action and hefty fines (taxpayer money, of course).
The last Citizen to Be Heard that evening, Richard Fuerst, spoke to the Board about the Catholic News Agency report on the recently decided case in which the U. S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. dropped its case against Mary Susan Pine, a pro-life sidewalk counselor and agreed to pay $120,000 for the lawsuit after a federal judge ruled that the case should never have been brought to court. "I think this sends a strong message that pro-lifers will not be intimated into silence," said Mathew Staver, founder of the nonprofit group Liberty Counsel, which represented sidewalk counselor Mary Susan Pine."
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