Walnut Creek

Smith died March 8 in a hospital in Walnut Creek, Calif., The Times confirmed.

Even before the Supreme Court decision overturning federal abortion protections, abortion clinics in Northern California struggled with persistent protests, motivating healthcare officials to change the location of their facilities in San Francisco and Walnut Creek in an attempt to mitigate distractions.

In Walnut Creek, 40 Days for Life hired armed security guards to protect its protesters outside Planned Parenthood, and were charged with battery after using pepper spray on counterprotesters, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.

Representatives for 40 Days for Life’s Walnut Creek and Sacramento chapters did not return a request for comment.

Cities including Sacramento and Walnut Creek have approved ordinances since the Supreme Court decision that require “buffer zones” outside abortion clinics, mandating that protesters stay eight feet away from patients.