Amish go to Washington to fight child labour ban

All they want to do is lead their lives quietly and decently, away from the turmoil of the modern political world.

But the Amish people of America have found that to do this they must, like any other interest group, get involved in the very modern practice of lobbying Congress in Washington to get what they want.

The latest battle the deeply religious sect faces is over whether its members’ unique culture should enable them to opt out of federal child labour laws.

For more than 60 years, federal restrictions have banned children from working in sawmills or other plants in which heavy and dangerous machinery is present.

But the Amish, a conservative protestant sect dating from the 1600s, believe the ban threatens their culture, which has always stressed a sturdy self-sufficiency, and depended on teenage boys learning a trade in their formative years.

“These are occupations that reinforce self-reliance within our group or community, as well as the work ethic,” said William Burkholder, who owns an Amish lumber company in Centerville, Pennsylvania, testifying at a congressional hearing.

Current federal law requires those operating machinery to be at least 18 years old. It also bans anyone younger than 16 from working at any jobs in a manufacturing facility.

But now the Amish have the backing of Pennsylvania congressmen and senators, and are hopeful that they will receive a more favourable hearing now that Republicans control both Houses of Congress than they did during Bill Clinton’s presidency, when a similar exemption was blocked by the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Burkholder said: “If we couldn’t put our boys to work and they didn’t do nothing until they were 18, they’d be absolutely worthless. We want them to be able to be obedient and learn a trade. If they don’t, they’ll be out getting into mischief.

“Next thing you know you’ll have a bunch of them getting into dope and drinking and partying. Our kids don’t do that.”

The 150,000-strong Amish community, much of it located in rural Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, has declined to embrace most modern technology. Driving motor vehicles is forbidden, as are computers, televisions and use of electricity from the national power grid. Their furniture workshops are powered by diesel engines.

The issue is increasingly pressing as ever greater numbers of Amish are moving from the land to machine shops because of the difficulty in making a living from agriculture. The proposed bill would allow children to work in the mills but would prevent them from actually operating any heavy machinery.

Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter, who supports the exemption, said: “This is an issue of freedom of religion, where the Amish prefer to educate their children aside from the public schools, and part of that process for teenagers is to work in the lumber mills.

“Is it more dangerous to be in a woodworking shop than it is to have the federal government destroy the ability of a religious community to teach its children a work ethic that is culturally appropriate?”

However, opponents of the legislation, led by Senator Edward Kennedy, fear that the bill will inevitably water down child protection for all American children. “Any provision that weakens safety protections for children must be scrutinised with a careful eye,” he said.

Previous entry: No charges yet in cult case
Next entry: Split Widens Over Gay Bishop

More articles about Amish