When is freedom of speech taken too far?

In watching or reading the news recently, many of you may have come across the controversy regarding the soldier, whose funeral was barraged by a group of anti-gay activists. These protesters, all from the Westboro Baptist Church, invaded the funeral service in Maryland with signs saying, “God Hates Us” and “You’re going to hell,” preaching the idea that because homosexuals are allowed any rights in the United States, God is letting soldiers die. These people personally attacked the mourning family of Matt Snyder, and although he was not homosexual, the patriarch of the church, Fred Phelps claimed that “They're either fags or fucking enablers. Take your choice, each one is going to hell." Though the Snyder family was compensated with $5 million for the emotional distress and invasion of privacy, the issue of whether or not this “freedom of speech” was taken too far is still being discussed in the Supreme Court. Is a funeral private or public domain?

To me, the answer to this question is obvious; a funeral is private domain. Even though this church (made up of primarily one family who live on a compound in Topeka, Kansas) is preaching ideas that are far from mainstream beliefs, this utter prejudice and ignorance is incredibly disheartening and saddening. It is disgusting that these people are spreading the word of hatred and are attacking such private and sacred ceremonies, like Matt Snyder’s funeral. I do believe in freedom of speech, but how can we prevent such awful events from occurring? I think that there should at least be some sort of restriction on personal ceremonies, like weddings or funerals, but the question I pose to you is, where should our judicial system draw the line?

The article discussing the Westboro Church protesting outside of Snyder’s funeral is here.