WinkyDog

Last night Rachel Maddow had this to say:

Today we learned the lamest of lame ducks plans to announce a broad, new right of conscience rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers to refuse to participate in any procedure they find morally objectionable including abortion, possibly even including artificial insemination or birth control.

For more than 30 years, federal law has dictated that doctors and nurses can refuse to perform abortions. But the new rule goes way further including virtually everyone and anyone remotely involved in any such procedure. The proposed rule says this, quote, “The department proposes to interpret the term ‘assist in the performance’ broadly as encompassing individuals who are members of the workforce of the department-funded entity performing the objectionable procedure.

“What does that mean? Does that mean basically anyone, even the person cleaning the medical instruments would be included, person sweeping the floors, the person guarding the door?

We should call the Amish bus driver rule. You know, if you’re Amish and your values and your beliefs will not allow you to operate an automobile, then surely, you know, that’s your inalienable right. But consequently, you will not be hired to drive a bus. On the other hand here, if you’re morally opposed to abortion, that’s absolutely your inalienable right to hold that belief. But you can still be a healthcare professional and just refuse to perform legal medical procedures to people who need them? As a matter of fact, yes. Thanks in part to our lame duck president.

Bush is not taking abortion rights to the courts. He’s just making abortion rights increasingly difficult for those who would exercise them legally.

Let me first say that I can barely stand to watch Ms. Maddow.  I find it hard to believe that msnbc has found a more nutty, arrogant and slanted anchor than Keith Olbermann, but they have.

And so it pains me so say that I agree that the place to fight abortion is in the courts, not hospitals.  And medical professional who are morally or religiously forbidden to perform or assist abortions should find employment where they will not be called upon to do so.

That being said, I wondered whether Ms. Maddow’s logic extended beyond Christians or conservatives.  I wondered if she would apply the Amish bus driver rule to anyone who feels that their employer is obligated to bow to their religious or moral beliefs, while continuing to pay them in spite of their non-performance.

I emailed Ms. Maddow this morning.  I wished to ask her opinion of the Amish bus driver rule, as it applies to the below incidents:

• Target workers who make customers scan their own groceries because they won’t handle pork.  here
• Muslim meat packers that demanded pork-handling exemptions and prayer breaks.  here
• Muslim cabbies that refuse to carry alcohol in there cabs. here
• Muslim cabbies that refuse to carry the blind, if they have seeing eye dogs.  here
• Dell workers that walked off the job when they were not allowed to pray on the clock. here

Needless to say, I did not receive a response.  But we can only hope that Ms. Maddow, with her astounding intellect and perspective, will apply her logic to everyone, and not just those who she disagrees with.