Cake shop ruling is a matter of freedom of conscience: Phillip Wochner (Opinion)

Guest Columnist Phillip Wochner lives in Shaker Heights and hopes to return to his studies at Cuyahoga Community College (Eastern Campus) in the fall. He gets too much email, but may be reached at philwoch@aol.com

Phillip Wochner Photo Courtesy of Phillip Wochner

People of all faiths and none, and those of every sexual orientation, should celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission on the right to refuse to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. This ruling holds importance for the freedom of us all.

The Masterpiece Cakeshop owners put their hearts and souls into their bakery. They consider each cake a "canvass" on which to express their feelings and convictions. They have every right, and responsibility, to run their business according to their values.

Freedom of conscience is our most fundamental freedom. It is the right to do what one thinks is right, and to not do what one thinks is wrong, regardless of what other people or the government say.

It is the right to not participate in wars one thinks are wrong; to take contraceptives or to not pay for other people's contraceptives, as one's moral convictions see fit; to advocate or not advocate for any cause; to participate or not to participate in a same-sex wedding.

It is the right of a private adoption agency, "religious" or not, to place children in loving homes with a father and a mother, and to refuse to place them in situations that, in the judgment of the agency, are not in the children's best interests.

It is the right to start your own church -- or to find one that agrees with you -- if you believe in evolution, and to find a private school that agrees with you or to start your own if you don't. It protects those who would use peyote in religious rituals; those who refuse to work on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays; and nuns whose care for the sick, poor and elderly is of a piece with their refusal to take part in the deaths of human beings at their earliest stages.

If the Hobby Lobby case had been decided against Hobby Lobby, everyone's freedom would have been in danger, including women's. And if the Supreme Court had ruled against Masterpiece Cakeshop, everyone's freedom of conscience would be doomed, including those of homosexuals.

In our creation of new "rights," such as the right to kill one's unborn child, to change genders or sexes, or to marry a member of one's own gender, we must make sure to not infringe on this most basic freedom. Because if freedom of conscience is lost, everything is lost.

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using Notification Settings (in blue) just below.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.

Let's block ads! (Why?)