Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

letter to the editor:

We have the right to not listen

In his column "First Amendment, loved and loathed," Tom Keane claims that the government can’t shield us from free speech, even if we find it offensive. Perhaps not, but while it may not be in the Constitution, I have a greater right not to be forced to hear speech I choose not to.

People entering an abortion clinic have no choice but to pass those wishing to speak, and deserve the right to not be forced to listen to it. This is in contrast to someone setting up his soapbox or passing out a pamphlet, or any of a hundred other examples of perfectly protected free speech, that I can avoid.

To say that we can be forced to listen to speech we choose not to hear is to say that we could be forced to sit and watch TV ads, even if we’d rather go to the bathroom or kitchen.

It is a horrid scenario, and someone needs to set Keane’s head straight on the matter, and maybe a few Supreme Court Justices along the way.

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