Arizona Moves To Ban Funeral Protests

The Arizona Legislature has approved emergency

legislation to head off picketing by a Topeka church at the

funeral service for a 9-year-old girl who was killed during

Saturday’s shooting in Tucson.

Unanimous votes by the House and Senate on Tuesday send the bill

to Gov. Jan Brewer for her expected signature.

The bill prohibiting protests at or near funeral sites would

take effect immediately.

The Westboro Baptist Church said Monday it plans to picket

Thursday’s funeral for Christina Taylor Green. She is one of six

people who were killed in the shooting that injured U.S. Rep.

Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others.

The fundamentalist church has picketed military funerals to draw

attention to its view that the deaths are God’s punishment for the

nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.