§ 14-277.4. Obstruction of health care facilities.
§14‑277.4. Obstruction of health care facilities.
(a) No person shallobstruct or block another person's access to or egress from a health carefacility or from the common areas of the real property upon which the facilityis located in a manner that deprives or delays the person from obtaining orproviding health care services in the facility.
(b) No person shallinjure or threaten to injure a person who is or has been:
(1) Obtaining healthcare services;
(2) Lawfully aidinganother to obtain health care services; or
(3) Providing healthcare services.
(c) A violation ofsubsection (a) or (b) of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor. A secondconviction for a violation of either subsection (a) or (b) of this sectionwithin three years of the first shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Athird or subsequent conviction for a violation of either subsection (a) or (b)of this section within three years of the second or most recent convictionshall be punishable as a Class I felony.
(d) Any person aggrievedunder this section may seek injunctive relief in a court of competentjurisdiction to prevent threatened or further violations of this section. Anyviolation of an injunction obtained pursuant to this section constitutescriminal contempt and shall be punishable by a term of imprisonment of not lessthan 30 days and no more than 12 months.
(e) This section shallnot prohibit any person from engaging in lawful speech or picketing which doesnot impede or deny another person's access to health care services or to ahealth care facility or interfere with the delivery of health care serviceswithin a health care facility.
(f) "Health carefacility" as used in this section means any hospital, clinic, or otherfacility that is licensed to administer medical treatment or the primaryfunction of which is to provide medical treatment in this State.
(g) "Health careservices" as used in this section means services provided in a health carefacility.
(h) Persons subject tothe prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section do not include owners,officers, agents, or employees of the health care facility or law enforcementofficers acting to protect real or personal property. (1993,c. 412, s. 1; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 14, s. 6; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 767, s.21.)