The Senate Site: You still might want to think twice . . .

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Saturday, January 28, 2006

You still might want to think twice . . .

From Alan Choate (in the Daily Herald):

Calling a woman unchaste would no longer be a crime if legislation that moved forward Friday becomes law.

... Lawmakers wanted to retain, however, a law that makes it a Class B misdemeanor to knowingly communicate false information that will "tend to expose any other living person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule."

Edward Carter, a lawyer and communications professor at Brigham Young University, said laws criminalizing speech have a chilling effect on discourse and subvert the purpose of having free speech guarantees. Furthermore, he said such laws are "selectively applied" against political opponents and "disfavored voices in society" -- when they're applied at all.

Read more about this bill on Senator Scott McCoy's November Blog.