I won’t force my beliefs on you
To the Editor:
One of the things I find baffling about those on the other side of the political divide is that their fight for certain policies is inconsistent with a core value they espouse.
My opponents on the Right declare that they want much less government control. They state that laws and governmental regulations should interfere with our personal beliefs and rights as little as possible. That small government is a good thing.
And yet … they have implemented, where they can get away with it: confining regulations around women’s health care, deciding what books we can have access to in libraries or schools, and controlling what religion should be emphasized in public school settings. They have made it clear that they would like to ban gay marriage. They want rules around elections that limit who can vote, rather than making sure everyone who can vote legally has ways to do so. They do want anyone to be free to own a gun, but no to be free to decide what type of birth control to use.
I would like my opponents to consider this: if we do things your way, I am limited in my reading choices, in choosing the best options for medical care regarding reproductive health, I cannot openly love or marry whomever I want, and I cannot choose how and what I want to believe about religious practices. However, if we do things my way, I will never force you to read a book you do to want to read, I will never insist that you have an abortion or use any form of birth control, I will never force you into a gay relationship or marriage, and I will never insist that you consider any of the worlds spiritual beliefs or religions beyond your narrow interpretation of Christianity. You will have all your freedoms to believe and live as you choose.
Why can you not give me the same freedoms? What makes you think you know what is best for me? I would not presume to force my beliefs on you. That is what freedom means. That we go about our lives with mutual respect, and without government control of our most personal choices.
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