Public Transport Company Sued over Sow Stall Ad Ban
US - A public transport company is to be sued by the Humane Society of the United Sates (HSUS) for banning advertisements on its buses campaigning against use of sow stalls.
19 August 2013
2 minute read
By: The HSUS has taken the action against the Raleigh Transit Authority in North Carolina for its ban on ads depicting sows in gestation crates.
The HSUS says the ads have already run in major cities such as Des Moines, Iowa, and Washington, DC, and as North Carolina is the second largest pork producing state in the US, the ads should also be allowed to be run there as well.
“The Raleigh Transit Authority cannot refuse to run this advertisement just because it is uncomfortable with showing the public how abused most breeding pigs in the pork industry are,” said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president for animal protection litigation at The HSUS.
“The Transit Authority is violating the First Amendment by censoring animal welfare messages, and depriving the citizens of Raleigh of information pertinent to their food purchases.”
The complaint, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges that the Raleigh Transit Authority violated The HSUS’ rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by rejecting, on the basis of its message, artwork and text submitted for an advertisement.
The complaint seeks a declaration that the Transit Authority’s rejection of the HSUS ad is unconstitutional and further seeks to enjoin the Transit Authority from refusing to run the ad.
