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Billboards =free speech?

RJ inadvertently raises an interesting legal issue, and I would advise him to pursue it vigorously.

Here, the author of this speech has a clear Constitutional basis for his action. His right to speak is rooted firmly in the text (at one time, this was viewed as significant).

Someone attempting to silence this speech would need to have a competing Constitutional right, and then the Courts would have to balance the equities.

What is her (the presumptive censor) right? Privacy? If her counsel would please direct our attention to that clause in the Constitution, we could read it alongside the right to speak freely, and balance them. I'd like to take the first crack at it; has anyone got a cite on that privacy right for me?
 
Why is saying that his girlfriend got an abortion "slamming" her RJ? Having an abortion is legal. If I put up a billboard that stated "Here is a picture of the steak I would have eaten tonight if my wife didn't purchase tofu instead" would there be any more outrage?

Abortion is legal, this guy is stating a fact that occurred in a public manner. Personally I think you feel this publicity is atrocious because deep down you realize that having an abortion is reprehensible. If having an abortion is not ending a life, I don't understand why this is a reprehensible act. If having an abortion IS ending a life, then I completely understand that outrage. Which is it?
 
Wrangor said:
Why is saying that his girlfriend got an abortion "slamming" her RJ? Having an abortion is legal. If I put up a billboard that stated "Here is a picture of the steak I would have eaten tonight if my wife didn't purchase tofu instead" would there be any more outrage?

Abortion is legal, this guy is stating a fact that occurred in a public manner. Personally I think you feel this publicity is atrocious because deep down you realize that having an abortion is reprehensible. If having an abortion is not ending a life, I don't understand why this is a reprehensible act. If having an abortion IS ending a life, then I completely understand that outrage. Which is it?
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Really...a steak and a baby?
 
That attention-whoring man deserves to go to prison! We should applaud his girlfriend for having the courage to have an abortion!
 
Wrangor said:
Why is saying that his girlfriend got an abortion "slamming" her RJ? Having an abortion is legal. If I put up a billboard that stated "Here is a picture of the steak I would have eaten tonight if my wife didn't purchase tofu instead" would there be any more outrage?

Abortion is legal, this guy is stating a fact that occurred in a public manner. Personally I think you feel this publicity is atrocious because deep down you realize that having an abortion is reprehensible. If having an abortion is not ending a life, I don't understand why this is a reprehensible act. If having an abortion IS ending a life, then I completely understand that outrage. Which is it?
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First of all she said she had a miscarriage not an abortion.

Would be OK for someone to put up a billboard giving your wife's private medical records?
 
ONW said:
Really...a steak and a baby?
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Excuse me, a what? I assume you are referring to a lifeless mass of tissue with no rights that is in no way connected to human life.
 
You are not upset about the medical records angle RJ....give me a break. You are upset because this is offensive. If he put up a sign that said that his girlfriend had toe jam you wouldn't care. You are upset because it is calling out abortions.

ONW - my point is that pro-choice people believe that a baby isn't a baby if it is aborted...it is simply a parasite I guess to the mother's body. I am simply confirming that line of thinking. I don't agree with it, but I honestly believe that most pro-choice people do believe that. I certainly would hate to think that pro-choice means pro-killing babies.

So if this is simply a choice of removing an unwanted parasite, then I don't understand that big deal. If you aren't doing something morally reprehensible then why get upset about what happened? Again, if this a billboard that said that his girlfriend had the flu and wouldn't hook up with him last night, I doubt RJ would be so upset. It is the abortion angle that has caught his attention...rightfully so in my opinion. But the mere recognition that it is the abortion that caused the uprising, is a major clue to where the real conflict lies on this issue.
 
Wrangor said:
You are not upset about the medical records angle RJ....give me a break. You are upset because this is offensive. If he put up a sign that said that his girlfriend had toe jam you wouldn't care. You are upset because it is calling out abortions.

ONW - my point is that pro-choice people believe that a baby isn't a baby if it is aborted...it is simply a parasite I guess to the mother's body. I am simply confirming that line of thinking. I don't agree with it, but I honestly believe that most pro-choice people do believe that. I certainly would hate to think that pro-choice means pro-killing babies.

So if this is simply a choice of removing an unwanted parasite, then I don't understand that big deal. If you aren't doing something morally reprehensible then why get upset about what happened? Again, if this a billboard that said that his girlfriend had the flu and wouldn't hook up with him last night, I doubt RJ would be so upset. It is the abortion angle that has caught his attention...rightfully so in my opinion. But the mere recognition that it is the abortion that caused the uprising, is a major clue to where the real conflict lies on this issue.
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I agree with most of your post, but...a baby in womb is a parasite for the mother, and a baby out of the womb is a parasite on society?
 
Wrangor said:
You are not upset about the medical records angle RJ....give me a break. You are upset because this is offensive. If he put up a sign that said that his girlfriend had toe jam you wouldn't care. You are upset because it is calling out abortions.

ONW - my point is that pro-choice people believe that a baby isn't a baby if it is aborted...it is simply a parasite I guess to the mother's body. I am simply confirming that line of thinking. I don't agree with it, but I honestly believe that most pro-choice people do believe that. I certainly would hate to think that pro-choice means pro-killing babies.

So if this is simply a choice of removing an unwanted parasite, then I don't understand that big deal. If you aren't doing something morally reprehensible then why get upset about what happened? Again, if this a billboard that said that his girlfriend had the flu and wouldn't hook up with him last night, I doubt RJ would be so upset. It is the abortion angle that has caught his attention...rightfully so in my opinion. But the mere recognition that it is the abortion that caused the uprising, is a major clue to where the real conflict lies on this issue.
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So Rep Weiner would have been better off putting his junk on a billboard?
 
If I'm not mistaken, it's against the law to put people's medical information in the public realm without permission.

I do find putting anything about anyone's medical history on a billboard highly offensive.
 
ONW said:
Would you be more opposed to a billboard of a penis or an abortion?
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Why must I make this bizarre choice? I'll politely decline, on grounds of absurdity.
 
RJKarl said:
If I'm not mistaken, it's against the law to put people's medical information in the public realm without permission.

I do find putting anything about anyone's medical history on a billboard highly offensive.
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You are mistaken. One must be under a duty to safeguard protected health information. Even with persons under a duty, disclosed information is subject to redisclosure and patients are routinely so advised.

However, I join my friends on this board in doubting that the genus of this thread was a particularly robust sensitivity to HIPAA enforcement.
 
Billboards actually are a property right, at least in North Carolina.

For the most part, with certain fairly well-defined exceptions, freedom of speech includes freedom of expression everywhere in this country, whether the expression or speech is tasteful or universally offensive.
 
It is interesting that most people who are pro-sterility for poor people are pro-life, and yes I get the concept that life begins at conception so there is a difference.
 
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