Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Religion & Law Blogs -> Religion Clause

Religion & Law

: Religion Clause

Hate Crimes Bill Opponents Invoke "Pedophile Protection" In New Campaign

By Howard M. Friedman

Now that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (see prior posting), some conservative religious groups are using new scare tactics to oppose passage in the Senate. World Net Daily reported yesterday on a letter-writing campaign organized by Janet Porter, head of the Faith2Action Christian ministry, that argues the bill would protect pedophiles. This notion was stoked by rather outlandish statements made recently on a radio broadcast by Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert. Relying on a statement made during the House debate by Rep. Alcee Hastings, opponents of the legislation say that the term "sexual orientation" in the bill includes "547 forms of sexual deviancies listed by the American Psychiatric Association."

Organizers online offer, for $10.95, to FedEx a letter to every Senator over the name of an individual urging a filibuster of S.909, the Senate version of the bill. The form letter reads in part: "This bill would more appropriately be called 'The Pedophile Protection Act.' The evidence for this extraordinary statement comes directly from debate in the House, when a simple amendment to exempt pedophiles from the protections offered by the bill were rejected."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on May 27, 2009 (boomark / email).