I remember in grade school how we had to learn about “personal space”. This was demonstrated to us by making us hold our arms in front of us, like we were zombies and walking to make sure that we didn’t touch the person in front of us. We had to hold out our hands when we sat down. A stiff punishment of a recess detention would be doled out if we crossed into someone else’s space. This naturally caused us to go into “I’m not touching you” mode. We did learn boundaries of staying where we belong and don’t belong. No freedoms were impeded on.

In Massachusetts, the Supreme Court is looking at whether this law that places protest free zones around the entrances to abortion clinics. Now as someone who sees these “buffer zone” markings often by my son’s specialist, I can say that it blocks off areas around the entrance to the parking lots into clinics that performs abortions so people can freely get in and out of these parking lots without being blocked by people with signs. It also makes it so people like me can get to the medical office building behind the clinic without having these people with signs harassing me. They have all this space outside of those spots to march and protest. And there is a lot of space.

I’m for your right to protest. You should be able to take a stand against whatever you want. This does not mean my right to protest takes priority over your right to seek medical treatment or anything legal you want to do to your body. News flash: the buildings with clinics in it also have other medical offices in there. Also another news flash, sometimes people go to the clinic for birth control or OB/GYN checks though I’m not sure the exact statistics because I believe that it’s none of my damn business why they are there. Final news flash: abortion is legal and if someone is going to do it, your graphic signs and religious rhetoric are not going to stop them any more than gun control prevents gang members from shooting up school buses.

I wonder how they would feel if people were just outside their private residences to protest. Obviously, not on their property but just at the end of their driveways in the public street. Or what if I went to a church and started a protest blocking their entrance into mass? Would they say “okay, it’s your right to protest wherever you want so have at it guys, we’ll work around you. God bless!” No, they would be pissed that I’m interfering in their business.

I wish I had a larger following. I would call for these sort of protest because I’m all for seeing social theory play out. I like watching hypocrisy try to rationalize itself. I’m interested to see the results of these actions and how the various media outlets report it. I think we should test this theory. See how that affects this law and how the people opposed to it react.