The Dangers of Compelled Speech
Dear Blogger, The First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech protects us from censorship of what we want to say, but we don’t often think about how the First Amendment also protects us from being compelled to say something we don’t want to say. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has litigated or supported numerous cases, including several at the Supreme Court, taking on compelled speech. Compelling people to speak messages against their most deeply held beliefs undermines the common good. A free society depends on ordinary citizens having the freedom of belief as well as the freedom to choose what to say and what not to say. What is compelled speech? Compelled speech occurs when the government forces you to articulate, advocate, promote, communicate, or otherwise expr...