Should conscientious objection be a defence to breach of equality law Essay

Should conscientious objection be a defence to breach of equality law - Essay Example Anti-Racism laws, which are a reflection of the equality law were designed to provide a remedy to the failure by the State to not do enough to protect disadvantaged member of the society.2 The United Kingdom’s Equality Act of 2010, which is part of the wider anti-discrimination laws of Great Britain, is based on the premise of the State impacting upon the UK society through legislation to educate and instruct individuals as well as institutions on how to act during public interactions.3 The Equality Law simply requires citizens to be blind on differences to do with sexuality, race, gender, and age. Secondly, it requires citizens to be deaf on differences arising from belief or religion. However, under the concept of conscientious objection, there are seemingly exceptions to the adherence of the equality law.4 Conscientious objection has been described as â€Å"a refusal on religious or moral grounds to engage in military conflict or even serve in the armed forces.†5 A conscientious objection is normally based on religious beliefs that are obtained from trainings and must be highly upheld. A conscientious objector must prove that the newly acquired ethical and moral convictions are what direct his or her life choices. Under the English law, there are only three instances where there are legal rights to objections based on conscientious objections. These instances comprise of abortion cases, application of technological process in achieving conception/ pregnancy, and in services of the armed forces.6 Other cases examples on the application of conscientious objections are when a pharmacists declines to administer emergency contraceptives owing to his religious beliefs or when an employee breaks health and safety rules or dress codes or displays religious symbols at the work place, wh ich is an infringement upon the rights of others. Based on the above review, conscientious objection should not be used as defence for breaching the equality law since it will provide