for the hospitals and we think that the legislation is a thoughtful approach. >> thank you, very much, and i think that you raised a very important point. you know that there is something very unique about these clinics which is why the focus of this legislation is on that, and by the way, what i would like to do is to provide the clerk with some documents that actually are photos and they are the architectural rendering which show the entryway to several of these facilities that are covered by this ordinance, and these documents show the limited point of entry for patients at the woman's community clinic, the saint janes infirmry and the mission house center, there is something about the layout of these stand alone clinics where entry is very limited and it makes it more susceptible to blockage, if you will, in

obstruction. and then the other point which the courts have also noted is that in terms of the resources that these stand alone clinics have, the resources have limited relative to a larger hospital and for them, dealing with something like this, where there is intimidation and harassment going on, the ability to do that is a lot more limited because of those limited resources. thank you, very much. and do we have any questions for dph >> not at all. >> thank you, and now it is my pleasure to ask dr. emily murase who is the director for the status of women and thank you for being here and no hat today. >> good morning, supervisor campos. the department of the status of women is strongly supportive of this legislation and thanks the council and the co-sponsors for this opportunity. and i just want to provide a little bit of context at the federal level the freedom of

access to the acts makes it offense to use intimidation or physical force to prevent someone from entering a facility. eleven states makes it illegal to obstruct the california, marijuana, elder monson, new york, north carolina, washington. four states stand property damage to a clinic, including california, and maine has enacted a noise regulation, pertaining to outside activity, outside of a clinic. and it has made it an offense to intentionally waste a substance with an unpleasant clinic, north carolina prohibits weapons during a demonstration outside of a clinic. and then, in terms of the buffer zone, in particular, to address sburp yee's point,

there are three states that have passed buffer zone legislation, colorado, has a 100 feet fixed and 8 feet floating and so it is kind of a combination. and massachusetts as supervisor campos mentioned has a 35 feet buffer zone and montana has a 35 feet and 8 feet floating, buffer zone floating. and there are several goments that passed buffalo and rochester new york, and mel burn florida, 35 feet, and 400 floating around patients, 300 feet around the homes of clinics employees and i think that is in response to some of the incidents of the campos referenced. pits berg, pennsylvania, and valao, california, our neighbors has legislation on fixed buffer zone that requires

protestors to remain across the street from a clinic west palm beach florida, 20 foot buffer zone and chicago, illinois, eight foot floating buffer zone in 50 feet of a clinic entrance and finally san francisco has a long history of supporting reproductive choice, including a 2005 resolution adopted by the san francisco board of supervisors file number 050019, urging all legal authorities to fully facility the protection of the right of women to control their reproductive health this is in the board of 2010 board supporting healthcare reform, 091463. thank you. >> thank you, very much. colleagues, any questions for the department on the status of women. thank you very much. unless there are any objections

we will now open it to public comment, and i want to thank all of you who are here, and both sides of the issue that work for the presence and instead of the typical. i will give you a minute per speaker and i know that they have a number of groups that are present and we will hear from many of you including representatives from the san francisco woman's. and so with that, let me read out some names, and i will have the speaker cards, if you have not filled them out please do so and once i read your name, if you don't mind lining up on the side, and then come up, to

speak. and so adrian verily phillis, caba sulava. glave, mckellen. >> buckley, jessica mun, ed hofner and jaimmy blend and ruth an collie go ahead. >> good morning and thank you. i am a woman's health physician assistant and vice president of medical services for planned parenthood and i am also a proud san francisco resident and reside in vernal heights neighborhood in the honorable david campos is my supervisor. thank you. for over three decades i have been providing quality healthcare to women men and healthcare in the bay area and i am aware of the needs of the people. that planned parenthood serves

it has been providing healthcare in san francisco in the bay area since 1929 and was the first city where the planned parenthood was established west of the mississippi, we currently operate 30 health centers and excuse me, health service, we provide healthcare services and education and more than 140,000 women, men and teens each year in 17 northern california counties and we see approximately 1200 patients every month in our san fr

what you will hear may sound like a story from mississippi or texas, may i just read these three quickly?

>> the lady protest s against is yelling at men and she screamed don't kill your baby not know what i am here for, she followed me and my boyfriend trying to give me a necklace that i didn't want, she kept trying to follow me and after refuse and yelling at me. >> my girlfriend. >> i think that we get the picture. but i have to be fair to everyone, so everyone has to give the same amount of time, so thank you very much. next speaker please? >> good morning, i'm adrian and the director of communications and director at (inaudible) and a san francisco resident and thank you for having this hearing and having us here today. >> as you know we have worked tirelessly for the past two years for the san francisco police department and the city attorney's office and supervisor campos to enforce current ordinances to protect the patients and staff from

constant harassment and indimtation and it has not worked.. our planned parent center is 30 feet wide, the sidewalk is only 9 feet we have a two, car, white zone in front of the building dedicated to clients, drop off and pick up. along this narrow sidewalk and wide zone, protestors have engaged in action to shame and intimidate the patients. they abuse the disability permit for hours just ten feet from our door. each side of the narrow sidewalk in front of the health center is harassing and signage is created through which our clients have to pass. and protestors set up a video camera eight feet from the front door video taping people entering and exiting the health center and line up along each side of the narrow sidewalk in beach chairs, wheelchairs or standing harassing our patients as they come to our doors, they

stand directly outside of our front doors and take photos of our staff. >> that means that you have 30 seconds. >> protestors dismroit the loop holes. a protestors sits in a while chair six feet from the front door, it allows her to violate the 8 foot bubble law, she can get within a foot or two of our patients to shot out and harass them and attempt to give them anti-abortion propaganda, in february, a woman entered the health center, woke up a client and harassed her, you know the story, i just want to thank you so much. >> thank you very much. >> i am going to read a few more names, paul, applegate, laerry mcneill, and daurety >> good morning supervisors i am lawyer hon and the president of the woman's political committee, we are san francisco

largest and most active woman's political organization. and we are dedicated to issues facing women and families here in our city including access to safe medical services and i am here today to represent the thousands of san francisco women that our organization engages with and formally support this proposed buffer zone ordinance, from time-to-time, even our organization finds it necessary to exercise our first amendment right and publicly demonstrate, but as supervisor campos said, this strikes a balance between free speech and the basic right to safe confidential medical care. i want to thank the 9 supervisors who are in support of this ordinance and i would like to submit a formal letter of support from our board of directors. thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please? >> good morning, supervisors, my name is tavis and i am also with the san francisco woman's

political committee, i am the policy chair in charge of directing the policy initiatives, planned parenthood provides services to a lot of the patients who otherwise would not have any place to get affordable counseling and healthcare. and while our opposition might try to paint this as a divisive political issue, it isn't, it is about accessing medical, and counseling services provided to them fairly and with respect, without being harassed and intimidated and diswaded from getting the services that they very much need at an affordable price, during this time when we see families and women being priced out of the city, the huge numbers, we as an initiative do everything that we can to advocate for policis that retain families and single women in the city and empower them to continue to make a living here and as a coast of living rises and affordable healthcare provider is ever

more important to a progressive respectful and fair city and so, we thank you very much for putting this in front of the public and we hope that this goes forward and thank you so much for all of your efforts from the san francisco woman's political committee and women in san francisco in general thank you. >> thank you very much. >> next speaker, please? >> my name is (inaudible) and i am from the san francisco woman's committee and i would like to thank campos for this legislation and yee and your district and i appreciate your support. i am supporting this legislation because i believe that all medical care and private medical decisions should occur in an environment that is safe and free of coercion. planned parenthood is a important part healthcare that regularly received. patients are supporters and and the doctors that serve. and

>> hi, my name is jamie glen and i represent the 40 days for life in san francisco, and i want to thank you for having this legislation and for meeting with us last week. and as i shared with you before, we are deeply concerned about reports of harassment and intimidation, my husband and i moved here six months ago so i am unfamiliar with the long history, that is described and i have small children myself and so i am not available for every hour of sxwis so i can attest to whatever and while i am doing all of those other moments and i think that if i take a step back and regardless of all of that, i think that it is important to realize that both sides here may are may not have an agenda. that obviously the prolife that life begins at conception and there is a point of view that is not expressed by those who do not hold that same view. >> i appreciate your concerns

to balance our first amendment rights, my concern is that again, i wish that i could speak to all that they are kind and approachable, no one is going to trust me and for me to be there and to offer some information to a women that is in a crisis, pregnancy, and having been in one myself i know that is a vulnerable. , and that is not only to me, but to the other prolifers as well and i would say that i echo, and that it may not be as effective and if anything it encourages yelling, and i know that there are many that believe that yelling is effective and they will be yelling from 25 feet and there

is nothing that we can do stop them. we would like to cooperate with you, and we have been able to meet a week ago. we look forward to cooperation with you. >> thank you. >> next speaker. >> good afternoon, my name is peged buckley sxim here as a concerned citizen of san francisco. i want to share a story one of many relevant to the specific topic today, i have some years as a experience of administering to women as a counselor, a woman stood at the entrance of planned parenthood and the look on her face was one of complete dismay and hurt. she called out to me, and asked if i would come and pray with her. i made a judgment call to go knowing that this might be a trap. i went over, and took her hand. and she shared with me, her

troubled state having had three abortions. i felt so privileged that day to have been there for her. to be able to consul her and more importantly to share with her my opinion resources that help her to find healing and resolve for her position and her needs at that time. and so i want to express this concern of mine that these women, that a lot of women are in need of help in healing and thus every women that entered planned parenthood in clearly in a state of absolute choice whereby they are not coerced by another and they are not always in their full compliance of what they think they do need someone to reach out to them, thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker, i am going to read a few more names.

>> linda, chris mcneill, jones, buyers and katherine kusic. >> my name is ruth an and impart of 40 days for life and like jamie, i totally i am saddened that there is intimidation and harassment and i am going to read our statement of peace in which we require everyone to sign as they start 40 days for life. i will only pursue peaceful solution to the violence of abortion while volunteering. i will show compassion and reflect christ love to all abortion center employees and volunteers and customers. i understand that acting in a violent or harmless manner immediately and completely disassociates me from the 40 days for life campaign. i am in no way associated with planned parenthood or any family planning clinic or affiliate as an employee informant, volunteer or client

or otherwise. while standing in the city right away in front of the abortion center sight i will not obstruct the driveways while standing in the public right-of-way, i will not litter, i will attend to any children that i bring, i will not threaten, physically contact or verbally abuse any facility or planned parenthood employee or customer, i will not vandalize private property and i will cooperate with local city authorities. >> thank you, next speaker. >> hello, i have been asked by mr. rosvody to read the following statement from him since he could not be here today. >> mr. campos has recently introduced legislation for 25 foot buffer zone against the prolifer, the proposal is just another way of eliminating the right to free speech by using untrue reasons against the

prolifers. i started protesting planned parenthood in san francisco about two years ago. and the process to limit free speech started about five months later. first back in 1993, the city had adopted a law that created an 8 foot bubble zone around anyone who is within 100 feet of any abortion business, on january 30th, 2013, i was cited two times in violation of the bubble zone for blocking a white zone, both of the violations were dismissed. second, around four or five months later, planned parenthood filed for a permit for a white zone that would prevent me for parking my life truck that was covered with posters of the innocent aborted babies the permit was granted. three or four months later they filed for an amended white zone that would prevent me from placing any standing posters on the white zone it was granted.

on august 13th, 2012 i was cited in violation of the amended white zone for obstructing the zone, violations are pending, fourth, now a 25 foot bubble zone to make it difficult for a prolifer to communicate with the patients by considering what i just stated doesn't this look like a well planned process by planned parenthood and the city of san francisco to eliminate justifiable free speech. this is concludes what he asked me to read. >> thank you. >> and thing about mr. fody is that he is sensitive to his right of free speech but no problem intimidating these women and video taping these people and no problem violating other people's rights. next speaker please? >> good morning, thank you, my name is ed hofner.

and i appreciate your efforts to serve the rights of women in this community and i think that everyone here is concerned about women and we do not agree on the methodology and i hope that we can all agree on that concern. this proposal addresses competing interests on the one hand you have interest of the people who twant to enter the clinics free of harassment and you want to have access which we have already heard there is multiple federal protections for and state protections on the other hand you have women that are making important decisions that are life altering. and they zaoe serve access to full information and there are documented hundreds and hundreds of women in the last 40 days alone that have made the decision for whatever reason not to abort their child. and i think that it is only fair to them to the women who may make that decision to allow them access to that information, so i am a strong believer in free speech and i have lived in seattle and now i am in san francisco speaking

against the restriction on free speech. >> excuse me sir, if you could stop the time. >> i know that there are passionate feelings about this issue, and i think that we have to be respectful and hear what everyone has to say, so continue, please. >> thank you. >> so i do believe in the right to free speech and the dignity of human life and the life that these women have decided to carry to term and the rights of women for full information and so i would speak against this proposal thank you. >> thank you. >> and let me read a few more names. >> general sing becky bond, and jordan, and sarah ladu. >> thank you, for having us. my name is renee char man and when i was in americor i used planned parenthood for exams and they are essential when you don't have healthcare but more importantly seven years ago i

had an abortion and for those who think that someone like me has not thought about all of the options, that are available, we have. and having an abortion is not an easy decision, it is tough. and it makes it even more difficult when you have protestors yelling at you, and so i think that a buffer zone would make the experience a little bit safer and easier. this is healthcare, this is not a political debate, this is not your rhetoric, this is something that i chose for myself and that i need and i believe that i have the right to access safe, healthcare. in san francisco. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> next speaker. >> supervisor, campos, my name is elizabeth (inaudible) and i am here with the coalition for reproductive justice. i want to thank you so much for your leadership and point out

in this week that these last two weeks that san francisco continues to be a bright spot of leadership and progressive thought, in arkansas this week have openly defied to challenge the supreme court bypassing the most unjust laws in the nation and it is clear that they are leading a path towards the supreme court and it is important that the leadership in the board of supervisors in san francisco continue to find ways to protect choice and to protect woman's health. and it is a sad state in america that a federally guaranteed rights are applied so unequally and it makes it important to do what we are doing today which is gathering together in support of this right. i am here as a patient of planned parenthood, i have accessed abortion, i have accessed birth control, and i have had some of the most humane, and skilled care at planned parenthood and i would

listen to you and i was respected and i want to assure the members of 40 days for life that they are not in the upstream position they believe themselves to be and just as that briefsh young women before me said that we collect information and we know what we are doing and the very last place that we are able or want to get information from is from or other the sidewalk, telling us what we think that we ought to know, we are smarter than that and we will be far better organized. please pass this legislation, thank you. >> thank you. >> next speaker, please? >> next speaker? >> hi, my name is jennifer joseph, i am here with myself, and i am a resident of vernal heights and i am a small business owner and a mother and my daughter goes to one of san francisco's public high schools and 30 years ago san francisco planned parenthood provided me with birth control and

healthcare services. which also prevented me from having to terminate a pregnancy. and i am grateful for planned parenthood for what they have done for the city fp san francisco for all of these years and i feel strongly about free speech and i think that having a buffer zone is very important. the argument that women visiting the clinic need access to information, and the age of the internet, i think that all of us have access to information 24-7 and that is not an issue any longer. i support san francisco and their support for woman's healthcare and during and enlisting our opinions. >> i am larry mcneill and i support 40 days for life and we know that the unborn child is a

human being and yet the only person who suffers death is that child and she should be protected and that is our theory. not to hurt anybody, but to protect a human being, should be the most protected place in the world. so we are compelled to protect a young girl in the wo mb of her mother, and they were criticized for allowing the holocaust to happen. >> they tell me only 2 percent of the money is spent on that. and i think that if i killed one child, in my life, people would look down on me for