[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10328]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                SUPREME COURT DECISION ON GOOD NEWS CLUB

  (Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support 
of the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the religious youth group, 
the Good News Club in Upstate New York, to conduct after-school 
meetings with children to pray and read the Bible.
  The Supreme Court ruled that the Good News Club has every right to 
enjoy the same privileges as other groups such as the Boy and Girl 
Scouts that take part in the school district's policy of allowing 
community use of its buildings after class for social, civic and 
recreational meetings.
  Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress, a person of faith and a parent, 
the fact that it takes the highest court in the land to realize that 
the concept of separation of church and State does not warrant the 
blatant disregard of the First Amendment disturbs me. The First 
Amendment requires the freedom of religion, not the freedom from 
religion.
  In a time of moral deprivation, we should embrace our young people's 
desires to study religion, not discourage them through actions deemed 
anti-religious.

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