(Daily360.com) – An emergency room doctor who has been practicing for 26 years in the United Kingdom was recently fired for choosing not to use the preferred pronouns of patients.
Dr. David Mackereth was partaking in a training exercise which included the use of preferred pronouns over standard pronouns. He chose not to use the preferred pronouns because he believes this would be a dishonest communication with a patient and as a practicing Christian he could not do it. The hospital responded by firing Mackereth for violating their “harassment” policy set forth in the U.K. Equality Act of 2010.
Mackereth told administrators he would always treat a transgender patient with exactly the same level of professionalism as any other patient, he would serve them to the best of his ability, but he could not do something he feels is dishonest. He said “introducing a fundamental principle of dishonesty” into the field of medicine will have a deleterious effect on health care.
Mackereth filed a lawsuit on the grounds of religious discrimination. It was heard by the Employment Tribunal who ruled against him stating his beliefs were not compatible with “human dignity.” Mackereth countered them with the argument that if the Equality Act protects people from religious discrimination and his beliefs are grounds for termination, then that the Act is pointless.
He received a partial victory on that argument last year when the Employment Appeal Tribunal, determined he is protected to believe as he does but his employer was still justified in firing him. Mackereth said for this body to determine that his behavior is not illegal, but is not protected by the law, renders Christianity “irrelevant.” Paraphrasing Orwell’s “Animal Farm” Mackereth said clearly “some ideologies are more equal than others.” Dr. Mackereth said this case is not just about him but is about government compelled speech and the freedom to be honest. He said he hopes his stand will give others the strength to stand up to these mandates as well.
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