The American Right To Refuse Service?

Submitted by Rachel Peck (United States), Oct 11, 2006 at 14:00

But Rick, it is not an "American right" to refuse service. That is what all those sit-ins at segregated lunch counters were about. Today, no restaurant or other public place of business could refuse service to someone just because they are African-American, Arab-American, or anything else. If they did, they would be liable for a lawsuit. And they would not be allowed to argue that serving some class of people conflicts with their religious beliefs.

I think the parallel here is with pharmacists who refuse to dispense the birth control pills because it conflicts with their religious beliefs. This is already legal in some states. Is it far-fetched that refusal to give someone taxi service because something they do conflicts with the driver's religious beliefs will be legalized in the future?

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