New Laws Designed to Silence Activists
Rather than listen to the voices of
activists, an effort is underway to silence us...
AnimalVoicesNews
Source/Letters: AP
Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/05/09/animal.rights.laws.ap/index.html
Contacts:
Governor Bob Taft
30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6117
Phone 614-466-3555 or 614-644-HELP
Web Email:
http://governor.ohio.gov/contactinfopage.asp
Ohio General Assembly:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Mercy for Animals:
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/
CNN.comSearch
Conservatives push ecoterror laws
National effort to pass laws against radical animal rights
activists
Monday, May 9, 2005 Posted: 10:23 AM EDT (1423 GMT)
THE OHIO BILL
PROPOSAL: Ohio is debating whether to create the new offense
of "animal or ecological terrorism" as one that can be
prosecuted as a "pattern of corrupt activity," or
racketeering, after two or more incidents.
WHAT WOULD IT DO?: Courts can seize property acquired through
racketeering and victims can sue to recover triple the amount
of
damages even if there is not a criminal conviction.
CRITICS: Animal rights activists think it might be used to
stop
demonstrations and could outlaw videotaping without permission
at
private farms and labs, a key way they prompt investigations.
-- The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Though arson, vandalism, assault,
break-ins and other tactics by radical animal rights activists
and environmentalists are already illegal, some
officials want to take punishments a step further.
A national group of conservative state lawmakers has been
promoting laws creating a separate offense of
ecoterrorism since 2003, when California passed such a
law. Similar bills have died in Texas and Arizona, and
others are pending in Pennsylvania, New York and Missouri.
Bills in Ohio would add that state to the growing number that
seek
harsher penalties for attacks, including those against dog
food makers, farms where animals are caged, and
university animal labs. Sponsors say the bills are needed
because of fire-bombings at ski resorts and new
subdivisions, break-ins to free disease- carrying
laboratory animals, and threats against corporate executives
and their families.
The Humane Society of the United States opposes using violence
in the name of protecting animals but considers the
bills too broad, lobbyist Julie Janovsky said. The New
York and Missouri proposals would outlaw videotaping
without permission in private farms and labs.
"At the root they are trying to prohibit investigations into
animal cruelty," Janovsky said. Ohio Republican Sen.
Jeff Jacobson included the language on animals in a bill
that would outlaw many activities considered domestic
terrorism, such as donating money to groups on the U.S.
State Department's list of terrorist organizations.
Jacobson said he would work to ensure the animal provisions
apply only to felonies. His bill would add attacks on
lawful animal activities such as farming, food
processing and hunting to the list of offenses that
could be prosecuted under state racketeering law, allowing the
state to seize assets after a conviction, or sue if the
suspect is acquitted. A 1992 federal law forbids interfering
with "an animal enterprise" but enforcement is
difficult, said FBI Special Agent James Turgal, who heads
the agency's Ohio terrorism unit. He said the state
ecoterrorism bills could allow more federal terrorism
prosecutions under the Patriot Act. Only a small percentage of
the FBI's active terrorism investigations in Ohio
involve environmental activists, but they are
increasing, he said.
The states take varied approaches. The proposed bill in New
York -- considered the toughest by the Humane Society --
would ban any attempt to impede animal research or commerce,
forbid financial donations to "animal or ecological terrorist
organizations" and create a registry of such groups.
Missouri's bill bans releasing disease-causing agents in
animal and research facilities and would expand a state
law that bans damaging or stealing records from the
facilities. Pennsylvania's bill, like Ohio's, creates harsher
penalties for people convicted of vandalism, assault or
other offenses if they involve intimidation or
obstruction of legal research and commerce involving
animals and natural resources.
It also allows suing for damages. "The penalties in the past
don't seem to have deterred actions of the activists,"
said John Ellis, executive director of the Pennsylvania
Society for Biomedical Research. Animal rights activists have
claimed more than $1.3 million in damage to
pharmaceutical labs and researchers' homes in western
Pennsylvania alone, he said.
In Philadelphia, animals were stolen from an
agricultural high school. A Washington state law against
damaging animal laboratories has a separate declaration
that it gives "full consideration to the constitutional
rights of persons to speak freely, to picket, and to
conduct other lawful activities."
Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed Arizona's bill in
March as too broad. Nathan Runkle, head of Mercy for Animals,
a Columbus- based animal rights group that has
videotaped conditions at egg farms, said he fears Ohio's
bill would infringe on lawful, peaceful demonstrations.
Activists had the same concerns before the California law took
effect in January 2004. The San Diego-based Animal
Protection and Rescue League had filmed ducks and geese
being force-fed several pounds of corn mush to fatten
their livers for foie gras. The video helped a successful
campaign for the state to outlaw force-feeding. The group is
still taping and protesting a year later, member Kath
Rogers said. "It hasn't really affected us too much," she
said. "It's pretty much a misdemeanor either way."
