Duty-Based Ethics

A decade ago, the debate over conscience protections for health care professionals centered on abortions and birth control. Over the past few years new cases have emerged that drew the debate and raised questions about the tension between individual’s rights of conscience and the need to protect homosexuals against discrimination. These cases involve health care workers – one case in Michigan, where a graduate student studying to become a counselor refused to treat gay and lesbian patients because they felt doing so would compromise her religious belief, in another case a Kentucky clerk refuse to issue same-sex marriage license because of her Christian beliefs. Should specialists, drug specialists, and other health care professionals have the
civil rights focuses on concerns about deontology. Duty-based ethics also known as deontology says that certain life obligations should take priority over other considerations. Both Ward and Davis were acting under the principle that God himself is against homosexuality so Christians should follow his view that homosexuality is a sin. Therefore by not counseling the student and refusing to issue same-sex marriage license they are following the church view of deontology. The focus here should be what is best for the greater good not what will help an individual sleep better at night. The problem with deontology is it is one-sided and when a person works in a professional setting where they are expected to follow the laws already implemented personal views should be set aside. For example, lets say either woman worked at a restaurant and God thought drinking was sinful. Now the owner of the business decides to start selling alcohol a year after opening because it will make he or she more profit. As an employee you are not forced to drink the alcohol and violate your religion. And if you decide selling alcohol goes against your moral code, you are free to find a new job. One cannot refuse to sell the drink and think they will still have a job. Addition, if God loves all his children it is not possible that God is against gays. While Christians believe God is perfect, they follow their own set of rules. The church promotes love for all living beings so it is not possible to be prejudice against gays while promoting love to living beings at the same time. Which leads to the fact it is unethical for both women to separate human rights and homosexual rights. These women cannot say they are following the church view of deontology when the beliefs the church follow are contradictive. In these cases I side with Eastern Michigan University and the law. By giving Ms. Ward religious exemption that would conflict with her professional