Michigan's 'Matt's Safe School Law' Allows Bullying With Religious, Moral Reason

[AnCap Dave]

Source

A bill aimed at ending bullying has passed in the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate, but ignited a somewhat emotional wave of criticism among Democrats, TIME's Swampland reports.

The staunch opposition stems from the fact that the law allows harassment by teachers and students as long as they can claim their actions are rooted in a "sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction."

On the floor, Senator Gretchen Whitmer gave a harsh criticism dripping with emotion, WWMT reported.

"You may be able to pat yourselves on the back today and say that you did something," she said. "But in actuality you are explicitly outlining how to get away with bullying," Whitmer said.

In her speech, Whitmer went on to outline the irony in naming the bill "Matt's Safe School Law," after a Michigan teen who committed suicide in 2002 after a gay-bullying incident. Since the law allows bullying based on religious and moral convictions, those who truly believe homosexuality is wrong are free to torment classmates consequence-free.

Matt's father Kevin Epling told the Detroit Free Press that the law makes him "ashamed" and called it "government-sanctioned bigotry."

The bill's sponsor Republican Sen. Rick Jones told the paper that while the motion "may not be perfect" he believes it's a step in the right direction.

[yt]zDK-ja8PLgg[/yt]

Dammit Michigan.....

[MrBogosity]

That's just sick.

I guess all the good little Christians now get to bully gays, atheists, Jews, and anyone else they want with impunity.

And Christians have the gall to claim to be the oppressed class in this country!

[AnCap Dave]

That's just sick.

I guess all the good little Christians now get to bully gays, atheists, Jews, and anyone else they want with impunity.

And Christians have the gall to claim to be the oppressed class in this country!

Indeed. The Senator in the video above really said it best, "You are explicitly outlining how to get away with bullying." Too bad she had to turn it into an "I HATE REPUBLICANS" bit at the very end.

[MrBogosity]

I guess under the law a liberal child could get away with bullying rich kids...

[AnCap Dave]

I guess under the law a liberal child could get away with bullying rich kids...

Very true. As long as they throw some "moral" tag to it, it is perfectly okay.

[Goaticus]

And people wonder why I say the Government shouldn't legislate morality. A law supposedly designed to end bullying citing an example of anti-gay bullying actually encourages that specific form of bullying.