Tonight, Monday, May 7, is the scheduled vote by the Westchester County Board of Legislators on the proposed new “local law” that you have been reading about on LifeNet's website. You can scroll down for links.
Will the Board vote to pass this problem-ridden law despite legal and citizen protests or simply send it back to Committee? If passed by the Board (nine votes needed), County Executive Rob Astorino will surely veto; twelve votes are needed for override. It has already been a two-year-long and contentious process.
There was a Public Hearing last December 12, 2011. The latest Public Hearing on the "Reproductive Healthcare Facilities Access Act" took place at the Board of Legislators last Monday evening, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. The normal business of the Board of Legislators was moved to the beginning of the agenda at 7 p.m. to make way for the large public crowd that filled to capacity the Board’s official Chamber room and the Rotunda just outside.
Many more citizens were lined up on the sidewalk where extra police set up walking barriers to control entrance into the building. After capacity seating was filled, citizens were admitted only as others left. Some of those who stood for hours grew impatient and left.
Prolifers protesting for First Amendment rights and a “no” vote on passage of the Act outnumbered the “pro-choice” opposition, who presented a number of political statements and requests of support from board members and administrative-level employees of Planned Parenthood of Hudson-Peconic and Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion, primary movers for the law. Carlo Calvi, the recent Yonkers Mayoral candidate, and Raymond Belair and Stanley Tomkiel were three attorneys who spoke in person against the legislation as unconstitutional and legally structured to cause great concern for the County and for citizens who are targeted with civil suits, and that could include churches. Statements by other lawyers were submitted to the Board or read by surrogates. Statements by politicians like Nita Lowey, heavily in favor of the law, were presented by staffers first before the public statements as a courtesy.
Those in favor of the Act insist that women entering "healthcare" facilities should not be subjected to protestors' “violence” and “harassment”. According to the Honorable Ms. Judy Myers, citizens' First Amendment witness would remain in tact within this new local law, “suburbanized” for efficiency with various 25 to 200 foot protected areas.
The arguments for First Amendment rights and against this law's undo targeting of only one particular group and their message rested on citizens who spoke of peaceful protests, sidewalk counseling, and an unblemished record of same in Westchester since the 1984 FACE laws. They cited this new law's highly prejudicial language, especially when the proposed law would level one-sided fines and civil suits by the clinic and employees and volunteers of the clinic against citizens that Planned Parenthood's business models (health clinic plus abortion center) have a financially-vested interest in silencing.
The crowd last week was estimated between 150-200 people. Just over 80 people spoke for the maximum of three minutes each. Video of the public hearing comments can be accessed through the County Board website.
Updates will follow immediately after tonight's vote.
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