Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

The state of civil discourse is breaking down in our nation. It gets even worse when elected officials harass citizens for exercising their First Amendment freedoms. This is what happened outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood where 1000 citizens prayed outside. Democratic State Rep. Brian Sims harassed pro-lifers who were peacefully praying and protesting. He then posted a video of himself verbally accosting three teenage girls, offering passers-by $100 if they could provide the addresses of the girls and provide their identities. This is called doxxing. It's when you reveal personal and sensitive information in order to shame or intimidate someone. This is the last thing we expect of elected officials who should support civility and the exercise of First Amendment rights. Rep. Sims crossed a line and it’s up to us as responsible citizens to remind him of that.