SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Abortion care patients have a 100-foot "quiet zone" around health clinics in Sacramento to prevent people from harassing them or obstructing their access to facilities.
This is due to a new noise control ordinance Sacramento City Council passed Tuesday "intended to protect those who seek access to health care services from conduct that violates their rights."
The noise control ordinance is aimed at keeping electronic speakers and other sound amplifiers out of the 100-foot zone.
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte representative Candelaria Vargas told city officials patients have faced heightened harassment and intimidation outside health centers following the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Volunteer escorts for patients seeking reproductive health care also spoke to city officials Tuesday about the conditions they face during an escort.
"Wednesday morning, for 4 hours, I get to hear language that is hateful and harmful," said Deborah Franklin.
The Midtown Sacramento resident said not every person wanting access to reproductive care facilities is looking to get an abortion.
They may also be there to find out a Pap smear," she said. "Maybe they're trying to figure out a best birth control, maybe they're concerned they have sexually transmitted diseases. Maybe they just need care because they're trans, and they can't get good care somewhere else."
While still in law school about 25 years ago, Councilmember Lisa Kaplan said she remembers visiting the Sacramento Planned Parenthood downtown because she didn't have a job and needed health care.
"I was able to walk in, in privacy, and not have that harassment—and it is traumatizing," she said.
Councilmember Katie Valenzuela said Planned Parenthood representatives reached out to her while the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision was coming down.
While a "buffer zone" between reproductive care patients and potential protesters was first established in June 2022, city officials returned Tuesday to tighten up the ordinance and include a "quiet zone."
"As like any piece of legislation, we always come back to fine tune here," said Vice Mayor Eric Guerra.
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