Question of the Week: Are the Westboro Baptist Church protests a form of free speech?

Westboro Baptist Church recently held a protest in Ottumwa, Iowa

Last week we asked you if you attended Friday After Five. 40 Residents (58%) said No, 24 residents (35%) said Yes, and 5 Residents (7%) asked What Friday After Five was. The Question of the Week poll is unscientific and does not reflect the views of Osky News.

This week we focus on a notable issue. For the past several years the Westboro Baptist Church under the leadership of Fred Phelps has been known to attend soldier’s funerals and hold protests at them. The protesters have been known to hold up signs that have messages printed on them that some consider to be hateful. The protests have been known to cause counter protests and, in some cases, law suits. Recently in a US Supreme Court Decision on Snyder vs Phelps, the high court upheld that the protests were legal under the 1st amendment. The ruling was 8-1 with Justice Samuel Alito dissenting.

Those who support the protests do not necessarily agree with the protesters but with the fact that it is their right. They say that while they may be doing hateful things, they have the right to protest in this manner according to the Snyder vs Phelps ruling and the first amendment. Those who don’t support the protests say that the way they are protesting is an exception to the 1st amendment. They claim that because they are inflicting serious emotional pain upon the families of soldiers, the 1st amendment does not apply.

Now it’s your turn to decide. Vote in our online poll. The poll will be open until next Sunday when we will close the poll and release the final voting numbers. If you have any questions, please e-mail us at info@oskynews.org or visit us on our Facebook Page.