AboutEd Buckner Expertise Nationally known freethinker will answer questions on church and state, including giving specific quotations and historical or logical support on religious liberty questions. I`m an expert on the U.S. Constitution, First Amendment, and the Treaty with Tripoli (1796-97). I am a Regional Director for the Council for Secular Humanism, active in the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a leader of the Atlanta Freethought Society and The Georgia Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. I earned a Ph.D.in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University in 1983.
Expert: Ed Buckner Date: 11/30/2007 Subject: newspaper printed I have Hep c without my permmision.
Question They other night I went to a board meeting that was open to patients of a clinic that might be closings. Many people spoke, and I also stood up and said I had hep c and that it was important to have a clinic for low income people in our community. I asked the board when was the last time they rode a bus with 102 temp and a 4yr old and 7 year old ( in Alaska weather) after the meeting, when I was existing the building a lady walked up and asked me for the spelling of my name. She then said she was a reporter. I expected to see in the paper my question about the bus thing which she wrote as a quote, but not that I had hepatitis c, which is now on the Internet too since there paper is on the Internet. I signed no release. I have faced much prejudice about my health and there fore don't like it to be public knowledge. it was a small meeting 20 people or so, I did not think I WAS TELLING THE WORLD. IS THIS AGAINST MY CIVIL RIGHTS?
Answer Dear Deidre,
I'm not really an expert on this exact part of the First Amendment, nor am I an attorney, but my best guess, alas, is that by saying that at a public forum you were in fact "telling it to the world" and that the newspaper is within its rights to report on that. That doesn't mean they were wise or reasonable to do so, but there is probably nothing you can do now that wouldn't make matters worse instead of better. It might be worth asking an attorney or the nearest office of ACLU to confirm my concluson.
My sympathies on your illness and your plight--and my sympathy as well for all those who need and want the clinic.
