Friday, August 17, 2012

Military Funeral Protection

Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone (Ret.)
Veteran Advocate

On Monday, President Barack Obama signed the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act into law.  This law provides a wide-ranging package of benefits to military personnel.

Included in the law are new restrictions on protesting at military funerals.  Under the legislation, protests cannot be held within 300 feet of military funerals.  Additionally, such protests are prohibited two hours before and two hours after a service. 

Any person who violates the law is subject to fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment up to one year.  Members of the deceased person’s family may also sue the offenders to recover for any damages resulting from such conduct.
 
This new law will have a strong effect on the protest activities of the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Kansas.  Westboro is known for its disrespectful and hateful protests of military funerals.  Many have labeled the Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.

This law counters a 2011 Supreme Court ruling that held such protests are protected speech under the First Amendment.

During a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, President Obama said “we have a moral sacred duty to our men and women in uniform, the graves of our veterans are hallowed grounds.”  With this law in place, families will now be able to mourn their loss in peace and these brave soldiers will get the respectful burials they deserve.

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