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Subject: 
Re: Religious Freedom Claim Taken Too Far?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:51:01 GMT
Viewed: 
4576 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Frank Filz wrote:
> Dave Schuler wrote:
> > I'm not sure that "force" is the right word to use there, since it
> > carries a lot of baggage in a libertarian context (re: the initiation
> > thereof).  If he agreed, even implicitly, to non-discrimination in
> > his license (i.e., the contract), then he is in breach of contract if
> > he thereafter discriminates.  The only force used against him is the
> > force required to enforce the terms of the contract, as agreed at the
> > time of contract.  This would be true, I think, even in a free market
> > system where some analogous license/contract framework were[1] in
> > place.
> 
> Well, perhaps force is too strong, though I'm comfortable with anything the
> government requires as being forced in that ultimately, if you refuse, the
> government could escalate to use of force.

I'm not so sure.  If the individual citizen enters into and then defaults upon
the social contract, then that's not initiation of force--it's enforcement of
terms.

> I agree that the pharmacist's contract may very well require him to not
> discriminate. I was talking in the general sense. In a free market system,
> the pharmacist might well be licensed by a Christian agency, and thus the
> licensing itself might not include a non-discrimination clause for
> contraceptives (and might even require it's licensees to NOT dispense
> contraceptives).

Now that's interesting.  In a true market of options, then a choice to provide
or exclude drugs would be acceptable, since presumably a particular drug that's
forbidden in one place would be available elsewhere.  I'd still worry that
certain employers might require employees to participate in the employer-chosen
plan, under the claim that the employees are free to choose to go elsewhere for
employment.  Sure, that's fine on paper, but such a choice isn't always
available, and in practice it might amount to an employer-imposed tax on
employees.

Dave!



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Religious Freedom Claim Taken Too Far?
 
(...) Well, perhaps force is too strong, though I'm comfortable with anything the government requires as being forced in that ultimately, if you refuse, the government could escalate to use of force. I agree that the pharmacist's contract may very (...) (22 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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