The First Amendment Is Hard For Culture Moral Enforcers On Right and Left ( Disturbing Survey )

Imagine this Facebook posting by a doctor :


“I saw this homosexual patient who came in complaining of dysuria and wants me to help. Well … that’s what you get for being gay. I really don’t feel any compassion for these people — they don’t deserve antibiotics, they need to change their behaviors.”

 I can well imagine many on the " left  "would be demanding investigations and censures and a possible loss of license.

Now imagine this Facebook posting from a  psychiatrist  :

“I saw this fundamentalist Christian patient who came in complaining of depression because his son is gay, and he kept talking to me about how the son is going to burn in Hell and how much that upsets him. I really don’t feel any compassion for these people — they don’t deserve antidepressants, they just need to abandon their medieval so-called ‘morality.’”

 I can equally imagine many on the " right" would storm social media demanding investigations, censure, and perhaps loss of his license."

If both cases pundits would be outraged but I suspect little thought to the First Amendment.

Eugene Volokh looks a this at Could Doctors’ Public Condemnation of Homosexuality Lead to Medical Board Investigation of Doctors?   which was promoted by a disturbing survey of state medical boards respondents . That first hypo I give is the one these folks were being polled on.

Needless to say those concerned about religious liberty issues should take note. There will be a continued effort to use licensing to make private individuals quasi government officials in order to advance their version of the proper morality.