A liquor store clerk is Muslim, & his religion stops him from selling booze. Is it discrimination to fire him?

Question

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Similarly, a pharmacist is a conservative (or Roman Catholic) Christian, & his religion stops him from selling the "morning-after pill" (which ejects a potentially fertilized egg) or birth control. Is it discrimination to fire him?

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My premise may be unclear. The Muslim refuses to sell liquor because of his religion. Consider that perhaps he's a recent convert.

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Answer 1

One wonders how someone who is forbidden to sell booze would be hired by a liquor store in the first place, or why such a person would even seek the position.

Answer 2

When one takes a job, there has to be a basic understanding of what is involved. To take the job in the liquor store where the main function is to sell people liquor is absurd. There needs to be some personal responsiblity in this one. The pharmacist issue is much different. There are a myriad of drugs to sell that would not be morally objectional to a Christian/Jew/Muslim, etc About 99 % is ok, should we only have nonchristian pharmacists because of 1% of drugs could be considered morally objectional. I think pharamcists will eventually have to decide to quit, get fired, or start selling it. There is too much pressure from our society.

Answer 3

OK, I'm from Australia, and this is how it works here: You may not fire or refuse to hire someone on the basis of gender, sexual preference, age, race, religion, political affiliation, disability etc etc.
The only premise on which you may fire or refuse to hire a person is if they are unable or will not complete their specified tasks as well as the job requires or as well as another available candidate for the job can complete them.
For example, you can not fire or refuse to hire someone who is wheelchair bound, unless their impediment means they can not do their job properly.
You may fire someone if they refuse to complete the specified tasks of the job they were hired for. If you hired a Muslim to sell liquor, and made it clear to them exactly what the job entailed and they then refused to sell liquor, then yes you can fire them.
The Christian refusing to sell the Morning After Pill is a little more tricky. Selling that particular drug is a very small facet of their job. They may excel in all other aspect. I doubt you could fire them for this, unless they were rude to the customers and made a scene etc. If they simply said "Wait here while I get another staff member who can help you" then you wouldn't have a basis to fire them.
Logic (red tape aside) tells me that the first individual could be fired, the second - maybe.

Answer 4

In the case of the Muslim, the only thing they sell in a liquor store is liquor, so he should not even have been hired to begin with, since he will do no work at all for the pay.

In the case of the pharmacy, it is possible to work much of the time without dealing with birth control or abortion items. He should be allowed to work there, since someone else present can handle the controversial items.

Answer 5

If he's a recent convert one would think he would re-think his career options because if you haven't got the education to do the bookkeeping, then handling the product is the only other job opportunity there. However, it would be illegal to fire him based on his religious beliefs but he could be laid-off with the benefit of collecting if there is not another position in which he could take that fits his religious restrictions.

The second is situation is already in heavy debate in CT as state law which took effect Oct 1st requires all hospital emergencies - even religious based ones - to give the morning after pill to victims of rape and the religious based hospitals do not want to. This is going to court.

I think if they personally don't want to give the pill out because of the pharmacists personal beliefs they get a qualified co-worker who doesn't have the same objections to do it.

Answer 6

in situation #1: If the person is unwilling to do the job, he/she should not have the job. If you're a vegetarian, don't apply to a slaughterhouse for work unless you're willing to do the work.

In case #2: while contraception/morning-after pills may be a small percentage of a pharmacy's business, it is the proprietor's call as to whether those items are to be sold in his/her store, not an employee's decision (unless the proprietor clearly delegates such decision-making). If an employee does not follow a legal company/store policy, then the employer is within his/her rights to fire that person. If you're a conservative/RCC pharmacist, you should seek employment with a store/company of similar mind, start your own, or find a new profession.

Answer 7

I don't think that if your religion or values contradict the essential job requirements of a position that you should seek or accept that type of employment. Find work that doesn't conflict with your values. This is ridiculous and allowing their personal convictions to impinge on those who have different personal beliefs. Their rights end where other's begin, they have the right to not drink or use birth control in their own lives or to work in situations that conflict with these ideas. They should not have the right to inflict these beliefs on those who don't share them. Where would this end? Does the Buddhist store clerk who doesn't believe in eating meat have the right to refuse to sell it and tell you to go another cashier or store? Does their employer have to put up with that and the potential disruption of their business? I don't think so, if you have a belief that prevents you from performing an essential part of the job description find other employment, that job is not right for you.

Answer 8

If he works at a liquor store he shouldn't have applied for the job in the first place. The pharmacist should've known they would be dispensing birth control...which should be against their doctrine even before the morning after pill was invented. If your faith doesn't agree with that many things you should be careful what you go to school for or what jobs you apply for.
Like-I would never apply for a job with a pro-life organization, because that would be ridiculous.
So, no, it shouldn't be discrimation.

Answer 9

You could aslo ask "Is it wrong to fire a pacifist from a gun shop?"

No, in each case, this is not discrimination.

If he won't do the job he was hired for, then you are not required to keep him on. You pay him to do a specific job. Either he does the job and gets paid, or he does NOT do his job and does NOT get paid. If he wants to continue "working" there without getting paid, just because he won't do that one aspect of his job, that's his own decision.

However, before he ever accepts the position, he should first be made aware of what his job entails so he can make the choice whether or not he wants to work there in the first place.

Answer 10

In the case of the of the Liquor store clerk. Yes it is discrimination. They should have known before hiring him. The pharmacist should have chose a different profession if he wasn't going to be able to handle the one he chose. He should be fired any time he refused to sell medicine prescribed by a doctor.

Answer 11

Everything in a liquor store is alcohol, and is against his religion, so what's he doing in a liquor store?
Not everything in a pharmacy is going to go against the Christian belief, so no.
Yes to firing the muslim, and no to firing the Christian.
There is NO discrimination there.