Just how far should civil liberties be weakened to protect the elderly? It’s a question being asked in the Missouri House. Springfield Representative Craig Hosmer defends the portion of his bill to protect the elderly that lessens evidentiary standards at trial. The section allows pre-trial statements to be entered if a person is unavailable as a witness due to their physical or mental condition. Hosmer says it’s modeled after the law that doesn’t require a child to testify during a trial. A critic sees it much differently. He says there are few similarities and says the provision erodes the traditional right of a defendant to face their accuser.