IN THEORY:

The California Supreme Court is set to rule on a case involving two Christian physicians in San Diego County who declined to perform an intrauterine insemination for a lesbian. The case pits religious freedom against the right of gays to avoid discrimination. Should the court rule that doctors have the right to deny treatment they think is against their religious beliefs, or should the judges consider that discrimination?

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This case is a symptom of a much larger problem, which is the agenda of those who seek the destruction of the traditional family.

This is another example of Christians being discriminated against. If a doctor has the audacity to have politically incorrect convictions and beliefs, that doctor faces the possibility of a lawsuit. The lesbian couple can find other medical professionals.

We are not talking about doctors denying them a needed medical procedure. We are talking about a lesbian couple desiring to do something they were not designed to do, which is bear children. There are plenty of medical personnel willing to help them.

Let them go to another doctor if they wish, and let us applaud the few people willing to stand up for their beliefs today. We are living in a day when the only sin seems to be to believe that there is such a thing as right and wrong. My hat is off to the doctors who had the moral courage to say no to an unnecessary procedure that contradicts their religious beliefs.

My advice to the lesbian couple is to go to another doctor and get over the fact that not everyone is going to bow to your every wish. The rest of us deal with it without screaming “discrimination” and calling a lawyer.

Pastor Dwight Tomlinson

Liberty Baptist Church

Newport Beach

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We must be true to the dictates of our conscience, responsible to the will of the collective in which we live, and faithful to our religious beliefs. When our convictions and attitudes prohibit us from doing something expected of us, we must be honest as to why we cannot serve and be prepared to refer to those who can do what we will not.

If these Christians had honestly explained to their lesbian patient why they would not perform the procedure, would they have violated anti-discrimination statutes and religious counsel to love others? I think so.

There are guidelines we break at our own peril: Be at peace with our neighbor. Choose life. Get rid of hatred and envy. Don’t murder or steal. Tell the truth.

If these physicians had explained their refusal, perhaps their prejudice would have become painfully clear to them. Were they truthful with their client? I wonder.

The Very Rev’d Canon Peter D. Haynes

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

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This is a tricky question. Do I think that the doctor should perform the insemination? Yes. Do I think it is OK to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation? No.

I believe in religious freedom, but I struggle with that freedom when it infringes upon other people’s rights. Saint Joseph’s hospital will not perform an abortion because Catholic belief does not condone it. So, perhaps it is the right of the doctor to refuse services.

On the other hand, will that mean that the doctor will also refuse urgent medical help when needed because of the patient’s orientation because that doctor does not believe in the validity of a person’s identity? It seems to me that to deny a person medical care based on the person in need of treatment is not just. Good question — difficult answer.

I think that discrimination should not be condoned. If it were up to me, I would authorize the insemination.

The Rev. Sarah Halverson

Fairview Community Church