Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

letters to the editor:

Clerks should honor their oath

This is an open letter to all county clerks who believe their religious beliefs are under attack in the wake of the recent marriage equality ruling.

Please note: You do not work for a church; you are employed by a government entity. You have the absolute right to believe whatever you want to about God, faith and religion. As a government official who swore an oath to uphold the law, however, you cannot pick and choose whom you are going to serve or which duties your office will perform based on your religious beliefs.

Clerks who refuse to do their jobs on religious grounds are basically sanctioning religious restrictions. So the real question is: When someone denies a marriage license to anyone, are they “exercising their religious freedoms” or are they imposing their religion on someone else?

Just how far could that religious objection excuse go? Can an emergency provider refuse to help someone because of religious objections? How about a police officer? Can a DMV employee refuse to issue a license to someone because of religious objections?

Can a case worker refuse to help a family because of his or her faith? Can a voting center turn someone away based on religion? Can a person be denied a hunting license or an instructor deny a concealed weapon license because of religious objections?

Those last two examples surly would have the National Rifle Association folks in a tizzy.

The point is that your job is to issue licenses as prescribed by local, state and federal law. Marriage equality is, in fact, the law of the land. You took the job and you took the oath that goes with it. The oath also states that you will do the job to the best of your ability. If you can no longer do that job to the best of your ability, then you should resign and find more suitable employment.

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