I have to take a medication for the rest of my life and I have no insurance! The only way I can afford to pay for this medication is by buying it from Canada since in America it costs 60% more. Janet

SOPA legislative update

posted Tue, 27 Dec 2011

The House Judiciary Committee just held a mark up hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). As we’ve been cautioning for a while, this bill is dangerous for a number of reasons. Our readers need to be aware of this bill because it would cut off American access to legitimate international online pharmacies.

If you tuned in to the proceedings, you witnessed an unfortunate spectacle. At the onset, about 60 amendments were already proposed for the bill. That fact alone seems to prove that it is terribly written. The back and forth between proponents and opponents was tense and even childish. Glaringly absent from the hearing (and all of the anti-piracy hearings so far) was testimony from tech experts—the people who know the most about the collateral damage that such legislation would inflict upon the Internet.

Congress is now in recess for the holidays. Although it’s unclear when SOPA will be picked up again, the bill’s sister legislation in the Senate, the PROTECT IP Act, is set for a vote on January 24. What is clear is that despite the strong and moneyed support base that this anti-piracy legislation has, a growing group of people also oppose it—from tech folks to those who aim to protect civil liberties and consumer rights. Songs, videos and boycotts have been created to raise awareness and opposition and regular citizens have come out in droves to contact their legislators and sign petitions opposing the bill.

Congress would be foolish to ignore this mounting opposition, but stranger things have happened. As always, we’ll keep you posted.

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