Okay, if you get your news from the internet you've probably seen this story already about a JOP in LA who refused to be the one to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple.
Here goes my unpopular opinion...
The law says they can be married, the JOP does not dispute that, he just has personal beliefs that don't allow him to be the one to issue the license. He didn't ruin their marriage by refusing to marry them, they had plenty of time to contact the JOP he refered them to who WOULD give them a license. I don't think this guy is entirely wrong and here is why; I don't think the law should force people to do something they do not believe in as long as their refusal does not cause physical harm. This JOP is allowed to think that interracial marriages are harmful to the potentially resulting children, it is his right to think what he does (the same way it is your right to believe in gay marriage, or a woman's right to choose or a right to universal healthcare or whatever the ridiculous liberal cause of the week is). I don't have an issue with interracial marriage (let's get that straight RIGHT NOW!), I have an issue with laws forcing people to do things that are against their ideals in the name of "tolerance".
The fact is, that at some point, I believe that the law in the United States is going to ALLOW gay marriage, but I don't think that ministers or JOPs who don't believe in it should be forced to perform marriages they don't believe in in the name of "tolerance". This is the same thing, this guy should not be forced to perform a marriage he doesn't believe in in the name of "tolerance" and really, if you are this couple would you WANT someone to perform your marriage that didn't believe you SHOULD be married? I wouldn't. Forcing people to support you doesn't create genuine support, it just creates ire and I don't now why anyone would want to do that...
1 comment:
I am with you. We had a debate much like this in a politics class I took. The scenario was a military doctor who refused to prescribe birth control due to religious beliefs. He would tell his patients up front about it, he would give them the name and number of another military doctor on base that WOULD give out birth control, and he still was charged with endangering the welfare of his patients by a woman who got mad at him. So, again, even though b.c. is now legal, should doctors HAVE to prescribe it? My opinion: no.
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