Don’t silence speech to protect agribusiness

Contrary to their promises to concentrate on the economy in the new session, Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are instead embarked upon enacting ideological vendettas. There is no better example of this than SF 431. Some of its provisions are in conflict with the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections.

While claiming to protect farmers, it actually protects animal cruelty and agricultural pollution by making it a crime to document such abuses. Further, it makes it a crime even to show that those abuses were documented.

For example, last year I wrote an op-ed online about a video some activists had made regarding the grinding of male chicks. Under the proposed law, not only would the people who made the video face fines or jail time, but I would as well simply by posting the video with my op-ed.

In essence, this bill makes it a crime to be a whistle-blower in the face of the powerful agribusiness lobby. There are already many laws regarding trespass and slander that farming operations can use if they feel they have been wrongly accused. Trampling on free speech rights does nothing to help farmers, their livestock, our environment or the economy. Tell your state senators to defeat this bill.

Kurt Friese

Iowa City