Partisans are tearing our nation apart

The owner of the Red Hen restaurant was absolutely wrong to refuse service to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders even if she felt Ms. Sanders represents an immoral president. This risks segmenting our lives ever more into sanctimonious little cliques that deny others the freedom to disagree — and thus we lose sight of the fact we are still part of the experiment in freedom and responsibility proclaimed in 1776.

While conservatives are outraged at Ms. Sanders’ denial of service, however, for many years they have celebrated Hobby Lobby’s refusal to cover birth control for female employees because of the owner’s beliefs. They also support pharmacists who refuse to fill birth control prescriptions because of their personal beliefs. These pharmacists who feel their personal beliefs trump all other rights and concerns not only betray their professional duties but elevate themselves to arbiter of what their fellow citizens may do. The same can be said of bakers and florists who deny service to gay couples while, presumably, not evaluating the moral quality of other customers.

We have become a people who feel our own rights are unlimited while believing we are entitled to demand everyone else submit to our own worldview and values. How far do we push this tribalization? Can a medic who thinks interracial marriage is immoral refuse to treat a child of that couple? How about an ER doctor who strongly believes in animal rights and is called to treat an injured hunter? Can that doctor refuse to carry out his/her professional duties? The course of ever-greater intolerance is tearing our nation apart and betrays the enlightened ideals upon which our country was founded.

The answer is obvious and simple: Welcome all into your restaurant, bake cakes, sell flowers and fill prescriptions. In short, respect your fellow citizens.