The Civil Partnership Bill was back at Committee stage yesterday (Thursday) and the issue of a conscience clause 
was once again considered and dismissed for the usual spurious reasons.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern told the Committee that “members of the public service (with) issues from their religious beliefs” have to “put those aside on the basis that they are employees of the State.”
Labour’s Brendan Howlin then raised the terrifying spectre of nurses (presumably Jews or Muslims) refusing to serve pork to patients on religious grounds.
Previously we have been treated to Dermot Ahern speculating that “fundamental Christian gardai” might refuse to serve a Safety Order on the grounds that they believe husbands have a right to beat their wives.
This is incredible stuff. In what Western country has anything of this sort ever happened? Meanwhile actual real-world examples can be provided of Christians being sued and fined because they stood up for their belief in traditional marriage.
Deputies Ahern and Howlin, plus Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan, all believe that when acting in your capacity as a State employee you must perform whatever duties you are given come what may and you must simply put your conscience to one side. Can they really believe this? Surely they realise such a policy would delight any totalitarian regime. They must also know that a democratic state can act unjustly.
Meanwhile we had Fianna Fáil deputy, Noel Tracey, saying there is a perception that the Civil Partnership Bill would force priests, vicars “and other religious people” to carry out civil union ceremonies.
Of course, Mr Ahern denied that, and he was correct. But no-one has ever suggested the Bill will have this effect. It is a complete red herring.
However, what the new law will do is force parishes to rent out their halls to same-sex couples who want to hold their receptions there.
Religious photographers or printers could be forced to facilitate civil partnership ceremonies or receptions, or be fined. This has already occurred overseas.
It is clear that most of our politicians have not given serious thought to this matter. Dermot Ahern, Charlie Flanagan, Brendan Howlin and the Green’s Ciaran Cuffe seem hardly to believe in freedom of conscience at all. They are content to force a particular view of the world on unwilling people through force of law. Belief in traditional marriage must give way before belief in ‘equality’. The State is not content to be neutral. It is being coercive.
They also seem incapable of separating consideration of the duties of a public servant from the rights of private providers of goods and services like printers. They could easily recognise the conscience rights of the latter while refusing to recognise the conscience rights of the former.
In addition, there is no evidence whatsoever that any real consideration has been given to a conscience amendment provided by two Church of Ireland bishops which takes care of all the ‘unintended consequences’ concerns.
The Justice Committee could easily have invited in experts on conscience rights who would have answered their concerns. They could have invited in the two Church of Ireland bishops. They could have invited in law-makers from say, Vermont, which has included a religious freedom clause in its same-sex marriage law.
They didn’t do any of these things because they had already made up their minds. If this is how are laws are made, then God help us all.