Issue:
Recently, numerous states have written bills titled religious
freedom that allows for individuals to deny other people services based on
their religious beliefs. The state of Mississippi passed a law titled "Protecting
Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act." According to
NPR (2016) this bill allows state employees to refuse to issue
same-sex-marriage licenses and protects private companies and religious groups
from being punished for denying a range of services to individuals within the
LGBT community.
SECTION 2. The sincerely held religious
beliefs or moral convictions protected by this act are the belief or conviction
that:
(a) Marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one
woman;
(b) Sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage; and
(c) Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual's
immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics
at time of birth. (Gunn, Arnold, Bounds, Carpenter, Gipson, Shirley, Boyd,
Eubanks, 2016).
Service delivery system:
The service delivery system that should be addressing this law
is the federal and state government. This is a social and political issue that
is setting our country back decades and denying individuals the right to
equality. This law would specifically
allow people or businesses to discriminate against LGBT people, as long as that
discrimination premised on a religious belief.
Policies:
The policies that I would develop would be focused on equality
and justice for all humans.
Policy:
No person or persons shall deny services, housing, or goods to
another individual based on their beliefs, sexual orientation, race, personal
lifestyle choices, or for any other reason.
Data:
According to recent polls in Georgia (a state attempting to pass
religious freedom laws) about 66 percent of residents say that LGBT persons should be
protected against discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations, and
housing (Merritt, 2016). It seems that many individuals within our country are
against denying services to individuals based on their sexual orientation, I
hope that the government at the state levels can hear their constituents
voices.
Implications for
occupational therapy:
This bill goes against our code of ethics as AOTA has laid out;
as well as, our approach to treatment. Specifically; the ethical principle of
beneficence, which includes protecting and defending the rights of others. The
AOTA ethical principle of Justice states “Occupational therapy personnel should
relate in a respectful, fair, and impartial manner to individuals and groups
with whom they interact. They should also respect the applicable laws and
standards related to their area of practice. Justice requires the impartial
consideration and consistent following of rules to generate unbiased decisions
and promote fairness.” In my option this new law goes against our beliefs and
ethical principles as occupational therapists. This law allows schools, employers and
service providers to ability to implement sex-specific dress and grooming
standards, as well as refuse transgender people access to the appropriate
sex-segregated facilities, that are consistent with their gender identity.
This law also tolerates for discrimination by allowing
government employees to abdicate their duties and refuse to license or
solemnize marriages for LGBT people.” This law also allows for individuals to
refuse service, deny property, deny employment, and fire LGBT individuals based
on their religious beliefs. This bill and many like it allow religious clergy and many
types of service providers (Occupational therapy included) the right to deny
service to customers based on the providers' religious beliefs. I am not sure
what the future may look like within religious hospital groups or religious
based rehabilitation groups, but I certainly hope healthcare and care of a
person comes before all else.
References:
