Mass. Officials Will Seek New Buffer Zone Rules

Massachusetts officials who support protest-free zones around abortion clinics say they will try to craft new rules in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The justices unanimously ruled Thursday that the state's 35-foot buffer zone violated the First Amendment rights of protesters.

Gov. Deval Patrick said he believed the state law struck a balance between the rights of women seeking access to care and the rights of protesters, but said the Supreme Court ``obviously disagreed.''

Patrick and Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose office argued before the court to keep the buffer zone, said they would work with lawmakers to come up with a new law that addressed the concerns of the justices.

Anne Fox, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, called the court's ruling ``a victory for all citizens who value their First Amendment rights.''