Rep. Pat Rooney Files Bill to Protect Military Funerals

Groups wishing to protest or demonstrate at the funerals of military members, emergency first responders, politicians and children must do so 500 feet away from the property of the area where the service is being held -- if a bill filed Wednesday by Rep. Pat Rooney, R-Palm Beach Gardens, makes it into law.

The issue has gained national attention in recent years as members of the Westboro Baptist Church have showed up at military funerals with protest signs reading "Thank God for dead soldiers." The Kansas-based sect is rabidly anti-homosexual, and believes soldier deaths are God-inspired punishment for the perceived moral backsliding of the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court has already upheld their right to protest at military funerals.

"A funeral is a time meant for family and friends to grieve and remember, it is not a time for a spectacle to be made. For those suffering the terrible loss of a loved one, unwarranted harassment some may attempt compounds the grief and already strained emotions. This is just not acceptable," Rooney said.

Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Wellington, is sponsoring the bill in the upper chamber.

"I'm proud to sponsor this important piece of legislation that recognizes the important balance we must strike between the First Amendment and a family's right to grieve in private for their fallen loved one. This legislation will allow our military heroes to receive the honor and reverence they so deserve," Benacquisto said.