News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Amish Sue Auburn, KY Over Equine Diaper Law

WFPL News

Two Amish men are suing the city of Auburn, Kentucky, in Logan County, saying a city ordinance is placing a substantial burden on their freedom of religion.

The ordinance, passed in 2014, requires all horses within the city of Auburn to be outfitted with equine diapers to catch their waste.

The plaintiffs are members of the Old Order Swartzentruber (SWART-zin-troo-burr) Amish religion, widely considered the most conservative Amish order, and affixing diapers to their horses is not permitted by the Swartzentruber church.

Plaintiffs Dan Mast and Emanuel Miller say they and other Amish Auburn residents carry shovels with them and clean up any waste their horses leave behind.

Since their religion also forbids paying fines they consider unjust, Amish men there have been serving ten- to twenty-day sentences in jail for violation of the city law. Plaintiffs’ attorney Dan Canon says the underpinnings of the religious doctrine have to do with the use of modern conveniences.

“The community as a whole has said, as a matter of religious principle, we’re not allowed to put these bags on our horses," Canon said.

Auburn officials say the ordinance is needed to protect public health and maintain clean streets.

Related Content