Whose freedom of religion prevails on same-sex marriage?

[cbayer]

http://www.thestate.com/2014/02/13/3261811/wilson-whose-freedom-of-religion.html

BY RYAN WILSON
Mr. Wilson is executive director of S.C. Equality, which works for civil and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender South Carolinians
Guest ColumnistFebruary 13, 2014

COLUMBIA, SC — I agree with House Judiciary Chairman Greg Delleney, who said recently that the question of whether to grant equal rights for legally married, same-sex couples living in our state “is going to boil down to a matter of religious liberty.” Perhaps ironically, that’s also the basis for my argument as to why same-sex couples should be granted civil recognition in our state for their civil marriages.

For far too long across our country and here in South Carolina, we have allowed elected officials and policy makers to impose their religious views about civil marriage laws onto the rest of us. I am not talking about religious marriage ceremonies conducted by faith leaders or within sacred buildings; I am talking about legal rights and benefits granted by our government through civil marriages.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June in United States v. Windsor that the federal government could not distinguish between legally married heterosexual couples and legally married same-sex couples. In short, the freedom to marry the person you choose is one of our basic rights in this country, just like our precious right to freedom of speech and the equally important freedom of religion and religious expression.

This is where things get tricky. More than 30 states have laws, and in some cases state constitutional amendments, that blanket a certain religious or moral standard of marriage and the definition of “spouse” on all couples, regardless of how they believe marriage should be recognized.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/02/13/3261811/wilson-whose-freedom-of-religion.html#storylink=cpy

[Deep13]

1. The persons involved ought to control.

In other words, if one is against same-sex marriage, one should not marry a person of the same sex. One has no right to impose his or her views on others. Similar to the whole pharmacist refusing to dispense birth control. He or she has a right not to use it, but no right to compel others to follow his beliefs.

[cbayer]

2. Do you think that an OB-GYN who is personally against abortion should

be forced to perform them?

Should a pharmacist who operates in an area where selling narcotics places his business at risk be forced to sell them?

IMO, as long as those who legitimately want and/or need the services can get them, then I think individuals may have the right not to sell certain goods or provide certain services.

But that's a much different question than denying goods or services to specific individuals based on who they are. That's a blatant civil rights violation.

[onyourleft]

3. Perhaps they..

...should have pursued other fields since they knew what those would entail.

[cbayer]

4. Nope. Only a very small percentage of OB-GYN's perform abortions.

So it's not something that the field necessarily entails.

And a pharmacist who sets up shop in an grossly underserved, but potentially dangerous, neighborhood has done something very positive in his field.

Should engineers pick another field because some in their field develop military weapons?

The tendency to generalize will almost always lead you into a corner from which there is no way out.

[Deep13]

5. Forced? No, no medical care at gun-point.

But an OB-GYN may want to reconsider just how committed she is to women's health and maybe pick another field of medicine.

And yeah, with a valid prescription, the pharmacist should make the dispensation. But I would not torture him to force compliance.

[cbayer]

6. Almost no OB-GYN's perform abortions, though most totally support

a woman's right to choose and believe the decision should be solely between a patient and her doctor.

They also believe that the physician has a right to choose as well, and you can be pro-choice and still choose not to perform abortions.

So glad you would forgo torture of the pharmacist. That is, indeed, a tremendous relief.

[Deep13]

7. You said "forced," not me. nt