Madam, – I am writing in response to the debate about a possible “religious exemption” for the Civil Partnership Bill on whether a registrar and business people have the right to opt out of their duty on the basis of one’s conscience. I appreciate the personal ethical dilemmas one might experience when asked to support something that does not meet one’s own personal standards. It appears that the debate on one side is underlined by the dictates of one’s spiritual code while the other is underlined by personal basic rights to respect.
One side battles for the right to free expression of religion while the other battles for the right to live a fulfilling life equal to all others. It would seem to me that the deciding measure should be considering where one’s beliefs cross over into the space of another individual. We are free to think and believe anything we wish but this freedom ends when acting out those thoughts and beliefs curtails another’s right to harmless self-expression.
As a psychotherapist, I have people of many different persuasions and cultural beliefs enter my office. If my first impulse was to judge them by my view of the world, my clinical judgment would be clouded with many biases. When my feelings get in the way of the therapeutic process, we call this “counter transference” in the business. While counter transference can be a useful tool in the therapy process it is always used with the interests of the client in mind. How could I be an effective psychologist and empathise if I didn’t respect all who come through my door as equal individuals who know themselves better than I?
How could I be an effective psychologist if I didn’t respect my client’s ability to find solutions with guidance rather than advice coloured by my biases? So while the issue of conscience is not to be taken lightly and is essential for our need to be true to ourselves, it needs also to be balanced with the openness and respect for all individuals as equal human beings.
The Civil Partnership Bill has emerged from careful and long thought-out debates and is modelled on similar legislation in many other Western countries. I believe that balance has been worked into these legislation acts already. If, however, one’s conscience continues to nag, then perhaps one is not personally equipped to do the job. – Yours, etc,