Funeral Protests

Rapid City Journal:

Legislation that would make it illegal to protest funerals in South Dakota flew through its first hearing Friday.

SB156, offered by Sen. Tom Hansen, R-Huron, was unanimously passed by the state Senate Judiciary Committee, setting the bill up for a vote on the Senate floor as early as Tuesday.

If it wins full legislative approval and is signed by Gov. Mike Rounds, the measure would become law immediately. The bill was spurred by protests in recent months at funerals in Huron, Rapid City and Yankton for servicemen who died in Iraq.

“They were young people that gave their lives in the service of our country,” Hansen said. “Some would say they gave their lives defending our freedoms so that even the inconsiderate and disrespectful could be allowed to express themselves,” Hansen said.

Hansen said he believes in free speech, but there is a time and place for it. It is not proper to demonstrate when people are burying their loved ones, he said.