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Freedom of religion is a right that we, as Americans, have as it is protected with the 1st
Amendment. However, should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the owners
religious belief is conflicted? Is the inability to deny service to a customer a violation of the 1st
Amendment that protects peoples religion? If so, is the ability to deny service to a customer a
Unfortunately, there are already businesses that are affected by this. A baker in Colorado
stopped making wedding cakes after refusing to make one for a gay couple. Another baker in
Oregon was fined for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. A couple in New
York were fined for refusing to rent their farmhouse for the wedding of two women.
In 1966, there was a Supreme Court case,Newman v. Piggie Park Enterprises, Inc., that
involved the denied service of two black men by Piggie Park No. 2. Defendant Bessinger stated
that the act violates his freedom of religion under the First Amendment since his religious
beliefs compel him to oppose any integration of the races whatever. Although Bessinger has
the right to adopt his own religious beliefs, he does not have the absolute right to exercise and
practice such beliefs in utter disregard of the clear constitutional rights of other citizens.
Does this mean that every business has to go against their religion to allow service to a
customer? No, this case only supports that a business cannot deny service to a customer based
on that persons race, age, sex, sexual orientation, or anything of who that person is, for that is
discrimination. In the case of the baker in Colorado refusing to make a wedding cake for a gay
couple, making a wedding cake for them would mean he had contributed to the wedding of a
gay couple. What if the gay couple only wanted to buy a cake forlets saya birthday? In this
case, making a birthday cake will not be against the bakers religious belief on gay marriage.
Instead, it would only give him the choice of whether or not he wants to provide service to them
based on their sexual orientation. The same thing can be said for the other baker in Oregon and
the couple in New York. Therefore, denying service does not always mean that it is a violation of
Citations
Muskal, Michael. "Should Religion Give Businesses an Excuse to Not Serve Gay Couples?" Los
Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.
"NEWMAN v. PIGGIE PARK ENTERPRISES, INC. | 256 F.Supp. 941 (1966)." Leagle. United States
District Court D. South Carolina, Columbia Division., 28 July 1966. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.