Comments on: Can you really reserve the right to refuse service?

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:39:23 +0000

Isabel, you draw a parallel between the contradiction of a Christian doctor performing abortions and the contradiction of a restaurant owner providing service to gay couples and families with children; but I fail to see the similarity in these circumstances. Assuming the doctor’s Christian values bar abortion, her performing abortions would entail a contradiction; but does a similar opposition exist for the restaurant owner? Which of her values would be compromised by feeding homosexuals? Where is the contradiction in providing a service to both hetero and homosexuals?

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:41:36 +0000

There’s always a way to have a conversation with someone you may not agree with. The question is, are you willing to make the effort? Thats what everyone has to ask themselves. Thanks re: my granddaughter. She is kinda cute, isnt she?:)

By: Isabel

Isabel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:21:28 +0000

This is such an interesting issue. I find it very scary, in this era of “tolerance”, rights (in particular the right to choose) and political correctness, to be forced to accept anything. You are talking from a business perspective, but in everyday life we are faced with situations where we are forced to see things we find disturbing, to accept things that are painful or simply unacceptable to us, and even to perform acts that are contrary to our intuitions and good sense. Should a Catholic doctor be obliged to perform abortions if he wishes to keep his job? Or a pharmacist to sell the pill? Or a restaurant owner accept gay couples if his usual clientele is families and children ? I would say no, but I agree with you that there are subtle and not hateful ways of refusing a service…

PS I love your picture. That baby is absolutely adorable.

By: mayen

mayen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:01:31 +0000

first of all its you who decided wheter or not you want to lend your services to someone…if you dont feel comfortable then noone should make you do it.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:51:23 +0000

Shannon,

Here are a few other choices.

1) Make amends. I realize this may not be possible depending on the people involved, much less the situation.

2) Find a middleman to buy the product from them and sell it to you, which might include someone who already resells their product (or buys it wholesale)

3) Make the product yourself.

4) Get the competitors to make a better product.

5) Find a substitute to this item.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:04:41 +0000

What if I can only get this product from my former employer? They almost have a monopoly – there are maybe two other companies that make this item but their product, by far, is not as good.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:25:39 +0000

Shannon,

While it may (or may not be) short-sighted on their part, I don’t see why not. Surely they aren’t the only fish in the sea. Source it elsewhere if you must.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:20:58 +0000

If I start a business and I want to sell a product that is made by a company I used to work for, can they refuse to sell their product to me?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:17:22 +0000

Johannesburg,

I dont believe they asked in the case I referred to. In this case, the prospective clients made note of it when they called.

As you note, in most business environments, you’d never have an idea – and I suspect very few would ask.

In the case of a wedding, it’ll become fairly obvious, fairly early in the process:)

Thanks for commenting – and for reading my blog.

Mark

By: Johannesburg Wedding Photographer

Johannesburg Wedding Photographer — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:32:12 +0000

I find it a bit bizarre that people mix religion with business. I mean in what other business do you ask someone buying from you what their sexual orientation is? Living in South Africa there is a big stigma around discrimination of any kind - a local album manufacturer recently announced that they would not print albums of same sex weddings. We now source our wedding albums from the US. Johannesburg Wedding Photographers last blog post..Soutpansberg and Baobabs

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:07:33 +0000

I hadn’t thought of it like that.

http://www.dataplus-svc.com