Midwest States Weigh Ban on Funeral Protests
At least five Midwestern states are considering legislation to ban protests at funerals in response to demonstrations by the Rev. Fred Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kan.
The church has been protesting at the funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq war because they say the deaths are God’s punishment for U.S. tolerance toward gays.
Though the soldiers were not gay, the protesters say the deaths, as well as Hurricane Katrina, recent mining disasters and other tragedies are signs of God’s displeasure.
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