ALBANY, NY—A federal judge told the anti-abortion group Red Rose Rescue to leave a 15-foot buffer during their protests around reproductive health care clinics.

On December 11, Judge Kenneth M. Karas granted a preliminary injunction against Red Rose Rescue, which NYS Attorney General Letitia James called “extremist.” The injunction applies to the jurisdictions of the Southern District of New York, which includes Sullivan and Orange counties, and the Eastern District of New York.

In June, James’s office sued Red Rose Rescue for invading clinics, threatening staff and clinicians, and terrorizing patients. The next month, her office asked for a preliminary injunction to stop the group from blocking access to abortion care while the case proceeds.

James said Red Rose tries to prevent abortions by trespassing into private medical facilities and clinics and refusing to leave until they are physically removed by law enforcement. In the past two years, she said, the group has interfered with the provision of reproductive health care at three clinics in New York, with multiple patients’ appointments delayed or missed as a result of their actions.

Judge Karas found that Red Rose caused irreparable harm and that the lawsuit was likely to be successful. He said a buffer zone was in the public interest and would not infringe on the defendants’ First Amendment rights. 

The preliminary injunction applies to the defendants in the lawsuit and all affiliates of Red Rose Rescue, and protects clinics in the following counties: Sullivan, Orange, Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, New York, Bronx, Kings, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, and Suffolk.

James said Red Rose Rescue has made it clear that they intend to continue obstructing access to abortion care.

“This important decision will protect reproductive health care providers and the patients they serve from Red Rose Rescue’s hateful, militant tactics while our lawsuit proceeds,” James said. “The right to make decisions about our own bodies belongs to us, and us alone.”