ArchivedWhat should I do?May 27, 2004
Senate to Consider Hate-Crimes Amendment
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Prominent Republican seeks to add special protections for "sexual orientation" to the federal hate-crimes statute.
Federal hate-crimes legislation is back on Capitol Hill, with the Senate expected to vote next week on an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would extend special protections to homosexuals.
"Sen. Hatch (R-Utah) has let it be known that he and Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon plan to offer an amendment dealing with hate crimes," explained Michael Schwartz, vice president of governmental relations at Concerned Women for America.
"The probability is that this, in substance, will be similar to or identical with the hate-crimes bill that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) has sponsored, which has 49 cosponsors."
That bill is the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, S. 966.
The amendment being offered by Hatch and Smith would add "sexual orientation" to the federal hate-crimes statute and provide federal grants to local law enforcement agencies to prosecute felonies or crimes of violence motivated by bias. In essence, it would greatly expand the federal government's power to prosecute hate crimes, providing cash incentives to police departments to categorize crimes of violence based on sexual orientation.
"Gaining hate-crimes protection is a key objective of the gay lobby," Schwartz told CitizenLink. "We've seen what laws like this do in Canada, Great Britain and in Scandinavia. They become charters for the persecution of Christians."
Some examples:
• A pastor in Sweden was arrested last summer in his pulpit for reading verses from the Bible about homosexuality.
• The Anglican bishop of Chester, England, was hauled into to the local police station and questioned about a sermon he gave, because it might have been in conflict with Britain's hate crimes law.
• In Canada, human rights commissions have fined people for publicly stating their opposition to homosexuality. In one well-known case, a Saskatchewan man was convicted and fined for sponsoring a billboard listing Bible verses regarding homosexuality.
Even more ominously, the Canadian Parliament recently passed bill C-250 into law. That measure makes it a criminal offense to engage in "hate speech" against homosexuals. Though it has a weak religious exemption, the bill places the burden on the individual to prove he or she is exempt from prosecution.
• Just this week, Hungary's constitutional court struck down a hate-crimes bill adopted by the nation's parliament that mandated prison terms for people convicted of "hate speech." In a unanimous decision, the court said the bill would violate the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, said the idea that someone could be punished merely for speaking out should be offensive in a democracy.
"You're not talking about hitting or abusing someone, say, (for) walking down the street — which we all would oppose," he explained. "We're talking just about speech which is offensive to certain groups."
In the past, Kennedy's hate-crimes bills have been stopped in conference committee or by the leadership of the House and Senate using parliamentary procedure. But last November Hatch publicly announced he was joining Kennedy in his attempt to push through hate-crimes protection for homosexuals.
"Last year, Orrin Hatch actually held a press conference with homosexual activists and denounced opponents of any hate-crimes bill, telling them they had to 'grow up,' " Knight said. "Grow up? Those of us who oppose this bill do so because it violates equal protection under the law. It sets up some groups as more worthy of protection than others. And it can lead to the eventual destruction of freedom of expression."
TAKE ACTION
Please contact your two U.S. senators and ask them to oppose any amendment to the defense authorization bill that would add sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes statute.
For contact information for your lawmakers, visit the CitizenLink Action Center.
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Copyright © 2004 Focus on the Family.
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Normally, I would know exactly what to do in regards to a hate-crimes bill. I'd either support it or attempt to get it defeated. Now, if it would lead to the prosecution of those who target people with violence because of their sexuality, race, religion, etc., I'd gladly support it. However, after reading this article, I'm worried that if I support the bill, I would be unknowingly supporting the persecution of Christians and other religious people who speak out against homosexuality.
What should I do? Should I speak out against the bill?
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