Eisenberg Praises U.S. Supreme Court on Right To Privacy
For Release - June 27, 2003
Albert C. Eisenberg, former Arlington County Board chairman, and Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates from the 47th district praised the 6-3 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the anti-sodomy law in Texas.
Eisenberg said, "The Supreme Court has decisively ruled that government should stay out of people's bedrooms and that consenting adults should have a right to their personal privacy. This ruling should have substantial implications for Virginia, which has a law similar to that of Texas."
Eisenberg further stated, "There are so many serious issues in Virginia that the General Assembly is neglecting. Yet it spends altogether too much time policing people's private sexual behavior, repeatedly refusing to repeal such antediluvian laws as the one before the Supreme Court. The anti-sodomy law in Virginia, while not actively enforced, has perpetuated the notion in Virginia that the government has the right to intrude into the private lives of consenting adults, solely for the purpose of furthering a narrow social agenda. Hopefully, the wise and thoughtful decision of the Supreme Court will help the General Assembly move on to attending to the real business of state government, like transportation, affordable housing, fair tax policy, environmental protection, smart growth, and economic development."
"Now," said Eisenberg, "the state ought to turn its attention to including "sexual orientation" as a protected category under state hate crimes law, and enact laws that prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing, and other basic daily living activities."
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