Do Businesses Have the Right to Refuse Service Based on Moral/Religious Objections?

[suebee]

Originally Posted by DomnNC

What is confusing to me is that ya'll want a law or something that says No one can refuse to provide a service to anyone, doesn't matter who they are or what they do! So therefore if we had that law then legally, I, like the woman in the flower shop (as the example) ya'll are using WOULD have to provide my service to ANYONE that wants it, period, end of story or face the legal consequences like the flower shop woman did! So therefore I would have to provide my service to someone who wants to go on a witch hunt (per my example) lawful or not. Then again I work out of my home for just such a reason, I don't have a retail shop where anyone can walk in off the street, I get my business by word of mouth and I have turned people down if there is something that doesn't sit right with me about them.

Dom NC: Listen to what is being said. We are talking about DISCRIMINATION, and that is based on someone's prejudices against an identifiable group. Usually it's a minority group like US. We're not talking about giving up all freedom of decision of a business owner. Does someone have the right to refuse service to somebody because they're a dirty (insert racial descriptive here)? No. THAT'S discrimination. Do you have the right to refuse to sit someone in your restaurant who is dirty and stinks? Yes.

I think another part of the difference between the Canadians and Americans in this thread is the huge difference in our tendancies to try and resolve problems through litigation. It's a huge part of American society. It's still a possibility in Canada, but not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. In addition, rewards given out in law suits are paltry compared to the U.S.

Canadians are just like Americans - except when we're not.