The WBC and the First Amendment

     The right to freedom of speech is one of the many liberties that make our country great.  Being able to speak one’s thoughts without fear of punishment, to report and publish the activities of the government and to freely communicate with whomever we choose.  But with this right comes much responsibility.  There’s the commonly known rule against not shouting, “FIRE!” in a crowded building when there is no fire, but there are other common human dignities that must be preserved when practicing this right.

     The right to privacy and the right to free speech collided in 2006 when the Westboro Baptist Church protested the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in Topeka Kansas.  The small, family church group was protesting the war in Iraq, claiming that the death of Snyder was brought on by God.  The case against the WBC brought by the Snyder family will be heard in the Supreme Court in the coming months.

     The Westboro Baptist Church visited my school last November.  Attempting to get the attention of President Obama, they held pro-life signs on Wisconsin Ave. across the street from Sidwell.  They promoted the picket on their website, www.godhatesfags.com in the weeks leading up to it.  Sidwell students responded with a silent counter-protest, organized by the Gay Lesbian Straight Bisexual Transgender Club, wearing rainbow and holding the famous Quaker message, “There is that of God in everyone”.  I could not have been prouder to attend Sidwell that day.

     I think the members of WBC have the right to believe in whatever they feel is the truth.  They can preach it as much as they like in the appropriate arenas and those who choose to listen can.  However, there is a line when their beliefs and actions disturb and disrupt a funeral where a family is burying their son who died in combat.  Technically, the members of WBC have protection under the First Amendment, but they violated a more fundamental right than one that is granted by the government.  Every person has the right to bury a loved one in any manner they see fit; it is a basic human right.  The WBC can come and picket my school or any other school as much as they like, under the proper permits and regulations, and put any material that encompasses what they believe on their own website, but intruding on another person’s basic right to burial is not acceptable and should not be excused under the freedom of speech.