Ag-Gag Bill is unjust

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To the Editor:

As one who regularly attends legislative forums, I can’t help but notice how long activists need to press legislators to address their concerns. When the coronavirus concerns caused suspension of the Iowa Legislature, we saw just how fast the legislature could act when motivated.

In the final days of the legislation session, elected officials slipped through a third version of Ag Gag 3.0 legislation. Ag Gag bills seek to silence whistleblowers from documenting conditions in industrial factory farms and slaughterhouses affecting working conditions, cruelty to animals, and food safety by criminalizing undercover investigations.

Such bills are usually defeated in legislatures or ruled unconstitutional. Iowa’s first Ag Gag legislation was ruled unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds in January 2019. A second attempt at Ag Gag 2.0 is currently on hold while a constitutional challenge works its way through the courts.

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Not surprisingly, both elected officials who championed and pushed this Ag-Gag legislation are factory farm owners. It’s too bad they can’t muster the same ambition and motivation to address constituents’ concerns with a similar zeal.

Kay Pence, Concerned Citizens of Iowa member
Eldridge


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