The Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, has succeeded in attracting plenty of attention by holding prominent protests at the funerals of fallen U.S. military soldiers and Marines.
In March, they scored a big legal victory when the Supreme Court decided in an eight to one ruling that the First Amendment protects Westboro members, and that their speech cannot be restricted simply because “it is upsetting or arouses contempt.”
Now a bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators is stepping into the fray, proposing legislation that will set boundaries for those seeking to disrupt military funerals.
The SERVE Act would ban disruptive noise for a period of two hours before and after the funeral, and create a 300 foot buffer around the funeral services.
“Families of military servicemen and women should have the right, the ability to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity and peace,” Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the bill’s sponsors says. Rubio predicts swift passage of the measure, adding, “I can’t imagine anyone being against it, at least no one in their right mind.”
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