Sir, – In response to the North’s Appeal Court’s decision to rule against Ashers bakery, you report (News, October 25th) the Rev Dr Norman Hamilton, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, declaring himself “deeply concerned by [this] apparent limiting of freedom of conscience and free expression”.
As a fellow Presbyterian, I am astounded that Mr Hamilton cannot see that this ruling does exactly the opposite. It confirms that every person of faith has exactly the same rights as everyone else, nothing more and certainly nothing less.
People of faith face increased discrimination on an almost daily basis.
But, this ruling protects them, just as it protects those with no faith: be they rich or poor, black or white, gay or straight. – Yours, etc,
STEVEN SMYRL
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – In her column Fionola Meredith (October 24th) suggests that the unsuccessful appeal by the Asher family bakery against a finding of discrimination against them is a defeat for freedom of conscience, when in fact the case was a rather more straightforward matter whereby an agreed order was subsequently rejected for apparently discriminatory purposes.
The facts of the case are clear: Ashers accepted a customer’s order to make a cake to their specifications and having initially accepted the order without objection, subsequently withdrew from fulfilling the order because they disagreed with the sentiment on the cake.
This wasn’t Ashers’ expressing their personal beliefs, but rather their judgement that they have the right to breach agreements with those whose cake designs they disagree with.
Clearly it is only the person who ordered the cake who has had the expression of their conscience suppressed, and as the court rightly found, based on discrimination.
– Yours, etc,
DANIEL DE BÚRCA
London.