Conscience Rights

I have always wondered why liberals would want to force anyone to provide a product or service for them that goes against their personal religious or moral beliefs. I know if I were making a living as a baker, I would not want to bake a cake for a same sex wedding and quiet honestly, if I were forced to bake one, it probably would NOT be the highlight of the reception. Not necessarily because I would sabotage it but because my heart just wouldn't be into making my best effort. But often, bakers placed in this situation are either forced to bake the cake or ran out of business.

Because of this the article from Fox News, Trump administration delays enforcing health care 'conscience' rule pending lawsuits, caught my attention. Under the "conscience" rule or "conscience" rights, health care providers are protected from discrimination based on their refusal to perform, accommodate, or assist in procedures that go against their religious or moral beliefs. Personally, if I am going to have a medical procedure done I am going to look for someone that first does this procedure on a regular basis and second has no moral aversion to doing this procedure. If someone has a moral aversion to performing a procedure, chances are they don't perform the procedure on a regular basis and therefore have limited experience with the procedure. My general care physician oversees the general health care needs of patients everyday and is more than qualified not only to treat my high blood pressure and cholesterol but also to watch for adverse affects of the medication he prescribes. However, if I needed some kind of surgery I wouldn't want to force him to do the surgery. I want someone with the background in the surgery I need which would to me mean they have no moral aversion to the work they do. Pure and simple common sense.

While I applaud the conscience rights protections for health care givers, why aren't these rights more widespread? For instance:

• If am a gun control activist, I shouldn't be forced to work in the firearm industry.
• If I am a vegetarian, I shouldn't be forced to work in a meat packing plant.
• If I advocate for open borders, I shouldn't be forced to work for the Border Patrol Agency.
• AND, if I am a baker opposed to same sex marriage, I shouldn't be forced to bake a cake against my moral beliefs.

However, this could be taken to the extreme to the point it is wrong. For instance, I could claim to be against capitalism. Any job taken, where one would work for money, is inherently a capitalist endeavor. I shouldn't be able to claim the right to a salary without work based on my antipathy towards capitalism.

One thing that is left out of most discussions of rights or freedoms is personal responsibility. Every freedom we enjoy comes with it a level of personal responsibility, which is one reason I believe liberals seemingly hate real personal freedoms. The personal responsibility may be nothing more respecting and defending those rights for others, even if we are personally opposed to them. Our responsibilities also go into how we conduct our lives. As a gun control advocate I shouldn't take a job with Remington Firearms and then demand a position that has nothing to do with guns. Similarly, a position at Tyson Foods is probably not the best choice for a vegetarian. And a baker opposed to same sex marriage should never put a "This Business Serves Everyone" sticker on their front door.