By Tom Holland –
After being jailed for almost 11 years for breaching the “bubble” of restricted space around an abortion clinic, Canadian grandma Linda Gibbons has been acquitted from his latest arrest.
Gibbons “did not accost anyone or impede any patient as they made their way to the clinic other than having to step around her,” said Judge Maria Speyer in Ontario in her Dec. 5 ruling. “She did not harass, she was not violent, she did not trespass. She is not guilty of mischief as charged.”
Linda Gibbons, 76, is a heroine of the Canadian pro-life scene. She has patiently suffered, enduring some of the worst punishments from the state in her attempt to save babies who are just minutes from death. She has been convicted 10 times for breaching the buffer zones.
A buffer zone is described as a zone restricting the distance protesters can get to clinics to safeguard access. They zones ban any obstruction, vandalism, picketing, threats or harassment.
They are common in Canada, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. In the UK, even praying silently within a certain distance of a clinic can get you in trouble with the law.
In the US, there are buffer zone laws in Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New York, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington.
Whether you agree with buffer zone laws or not, some will be outraged that she has received such significant jail sentences.
Canadians convicted of gun offenses, sex assault, drunk driving, child abuse, and manslaughter who have done significantly less time in prison.
While some on the left may see her as a hopeless repeat offender and a serious criminal, the Canadian prolife movement sees things differently.
“Justice was done today for Linda Gibbons,” said CLC National President Jeff Gunnarson. “The judge saw clearly that Linda’s actions were peaceful and that pro-life advocates have the right to speech on the public sidewalk. It is rulings, such as this one, that must be used to challenge bubble-zones across the country that are used to silence pro-life speech.
“Thank God, Linda is free!”
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Related articles: arrested for praying (silently) outside a clinic in the UK, abortion linked to promiscuity, her mom rushed out of the clinic, free from abortion guilt.
About this writer: “Spiderman” studies at the Lighthouse Christian Academy near in Los Angeles.
