Does a church have the right to protest at a soldier's funeral? Some might say, "no, it's offensive." Others say, "yes, it's freedom of speech." Now, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments from both sides of the issue.
Eyewitness News has contemplated showing the group's signs, which viewers may find offensive. We've decided that the signs are at the center of the argument.
Without seeing Westboro's message and how it's presented at protests, you can't have a complete understanding of the issue. We wanted you to know why we're choosing to include those images in our coverage.
When Bob Funcheon buried his son, Alex, who died in Iraq in April 2007, the Westboro Baptist Church was across the street protesting.
"It's a question of boundaries," he said. "Funerals should be a part of that boundary."
Funcheon says he agrees with the church's right to protest. He says, though, they should not be allowed to protest at funerals.
"They can say whatever they want at other times. But not at that moment in time."
But several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, disagrees. The ACLU argues that the protests are not on private property and are under the protection of the First Amendment.
"Unfortunately, unless you decide to have a service like that on your own property, in your own backyard, where nobody can get to you," explains lawyer and ACLU member Jim Lawing, "then people can picket out in public places where people who come to that service will be able to see the idiotic things they're saying."
Here at Eyewitness News, we've discussed at length how to properly cover this issue. Please click on the link to understand how we decided to present this story, and others involving the Westboro Baptist Church.
