Anti-abortion protesters will no longer be able to stand directly in front of San Francisco's Planned Parenthood clinic if Supervisor David Campos has his way. A new measure would impose a 25-food bubble around all entrances and exits to the clinic, which is located on the southern end of Valencia Street.

Although abortions account for only 2 percent of the clinic's appointments, the location is a popular gathering spot for rosary-toting protesters denouncing the evils of abortion. A 1993 law specifies an 8-foot "bubble zone" around anyone within 100 feet of a health care facility, but protesters can easily avoid that by standing in one spot and planting their feet, according to one individual.

Planned Parenthood staff say the problem has escalated recently, with one incident where a protestor entered the waiting room, woke up a sleeping woman and proceeded to lecture her on abortion, without knowing why the woman was there in the first place.

Adrienne Verrilli, a Planned Parenthood spokeswoman, had this to say in a statement: "Our clients were coming in crying ...We don't want to get to the point where someone gets hurt."

[SF Gate]