Even if its boring and inconvenient at times
In my life I believe in following the rules in as much as possible. I guess that's what makes my life as a Pharmacist so difficult some times. There are so many rules to follow and following them sometimes can be very inconvenient. Sometimes the rules are ambiguous and sometimes I'm stuck in a situation where if I follow the rule I can be put in jail and if I don't follow the rule I can be put in jail.
As an example that I had to wrestle with: A patient requires a HUGE dose of a narcotic painkiller on a regular basis. Enough that it would be lethal to anyone else who took such a high dose (just over 2000mg of Oxycodone daily for those who know the medication). With such a high dose NO doctor will take responsibility for it other than her pain specialist. NO hospital will administer such a dose. The patient is of their medication and I have no legal authority to fill it. Their regular doctor has left the country on vacation so I have no way to get legal authority to fill the prescription.
IF I give the patient their medication I am providing a controlled medication without a prescription. Doing that I can be prosecuted as a common drug dealer, lose my license and go to jail.
BUT
IF I don't give the patient their medication I am contributing to the misery and suffering of an individual. Doing that I can be prosecuted for harming another individual and be sued and put in jail.
Either path I take I have the potential to be in big trouble
While I am a law abiding and honest citizen to the best of my ability at all times I do have a few viewpoints on the law. They can be summed up by these points:
I am free to break any law as long as I am willing to suffer the penalty
The law says I cannot drive over a certain speed limit. It says I cannot drive without a license. However, if the life of my wife or children was on the line I would ignore all those rules and do whatever it took to get my family to medical help or safety. Why? God made me a free man and I choose whatever actions I wish. God also made consequences for any action I make. As a result:
I do not fear getting caught
because I only break laws that I'm willing to accept the consequences for.
it is easy to tell a good law from a bad law through one simple step: Try to enforce it
There are many laws out there. Every law is enacted for a reason and some are good, some are bad, and some are silly.
An example of a silly law :
In Toronto, Ontario, it's illegal to drag a dead horse down Yonge Street on a Sunday.Source
An example of a bad law :
"365. Every one who fraudulently (a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration, (b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or (c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found, is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction."Source
I understand the reasoning behind ths law: Don't defraud the public by pretending to use witchcraft. However, actually enforcing the law could be challenging.
Honestly though most laws are there for a reason
To keep society safe and orderly
However, the main reason that I am a law abiding citizen is because I'm a Christian. My bible specifically states that I am to follow the rules of the country that I live in and be subject to those in authority.
Romans 13:1-2 (NIV):"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
So I was going to ignore the #HiveLearners post on removing or adding a prohibition
But an issue going on in the country right now has changed my mind.
Source: Check here for the opposing viewpoint
Do you want to teach them to live a good life?
Do you want them to reach their full potential?
I'm going to guess than each and every parent out there would answer. YES and Of Course! What kind of horrible parent doesn't want their child to succeed? Sure there are parents who may use questionable methods in order to help their children succeed. Sure there are some parents who punish far more than they should. Sure some parents permit far more than they should. Unfortunately there are even parents who are so self obsessed that they do not provide proper care for their children.
I believe it is Crucial for parents to guide their children
Indeed I also believe that it is a God given responsibility for parents to care for their children.
Ephesians 6:4 (NIV): "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
Even if I didn't think it is a crucial God given responsibility the United Nation Convention on the rights of the child (1989) states:
Article 18 - The right to parental guidance and responsibility, emphasizing the best interests of the child.
To put it very plainly and simply:
I have an imperative duty as a father to care for and train my children
In that regard:
Now in Canada we have a charter or rights and freedoms. One of those freedoms is this :
By themselves both of those laws or obligations are acceptable to me. All people should be treated equally whether they are male or female. PERIOD
I will ALWAYS strive to do my best to raise my children to be the best they can be in whatever way God intended.
Remember when I wrote that there was a time that I was in trouble if I followed a law and in equal amount of trouble if I broke it? That's what is happening with those two rules I just stated. That is the heart of a legal issue going on in Saskatchewan right now.
The people and government of the province have decided to enact a law that effectively states that "If a child under the age of 16 wishes to change their name or their pronoun they must get parental consent". Now for those in Nigeria I'm guessing that you have no idea what I'm talking about. In more blunt terms... If my son "Stefan" wanted to go to school and dress, act, and be like a daughter "Stephanie" he/she/zhe would have to get my consent as the parent.
As I have raised teenage sons I know that in the 13-16yr old range they have some very strongly held opinions that can be less than ideal for their overall growth. Even my oldest son has openly stated that when he was 14-16 he did some things he regrets and that he was a dumbass (his word not mine).
When he was a teen I fought hard to guide him on his path even if he fought me a lot... Now that he is 20 there are still many things that we disagree on but I respect the man he has become and the decisions he makes.
What if had wanted to be a girl when he was 15? Now I love having sons and my conservative nature believes that boys are boys and girls are girls. In Canada it is quite possible for either of my sons to become women if they so choose. While I hope that each of them decides to stay as the men they were created I would not shun or contradict them if they decided to become women. I would try to talk them out of it but after the discussion was over I'd love them and support them on whatever their decision they made.
However, if they tried that at 15? NO Way. I knew my kids. They were still trying to figure out who they were, what they wanted and where they wanted to go in life. I knew that gender change at that time would be only a phase and that following it would be a weird mistake. WHY ...because I knew my children.
I also have a nephew who was born male and have NEVER really conformed to being a male. I would be astonished if he ever decides to continue as a boy and a gender conversion later in life would not surprise me at all. If he/she was to decide to enter school as a girl I would suppose his decision to go as "she" and change name accordingly. WHY...because I know the child.
I fully support the law to require parental consent to change name/pronoun under 16yrs old
This is where it gets sticky!
I also agree that a person has the right to be their gender. Male or Female without discrimination. But how do I balance this with a duty of a parent to guide their children?
In my eyes it falls on a single word CHILDREN. While they are children it is my absolute duty to guide, direct and care for them. When they are adults it is my duty to love and counsel them. My role absolutely changes as they get older! My wife may have issues with that as they will always be her babies but I'm so proud that they are not!
As for when they become adults?
That's a hard decision and I'll leave that up to the government to decide. However, while they are children and I am morally and legally responsible for them I firmly believe in the right to train and guide my children.
If the government wants to take away my freedom to care and guide my children I will fight that with everything that I am. MY CHILDREN are a gift and responsibility from God and I Absolutely refuse to let the government take that away from me.
Which leads to the situation in Saskatchewan right now.
The government wants to enact a law which will :
protect my right as a parent to guide my child
The justice system (judges) have decided that the law is:
unconstitutional and not legal to enact
So the Province has decided to enact a notwithstanding clause which enables them to enact a law which the judges say is illegal for a period of 5 years.
Now I hate the idea of the local government enacting a law which infringes on the Rights and Freedoms expected as a Canadian. In almost every instance I would think that is a bad thing. However, in this case I think the province is acting in a responsible matter.
Unfortunately I'm in the minority.
There have been protests on the streets with many advocating that children should have the right to choose their gender regardless of age. There are parents protesting on street that the government should allow them to raise their children without interference.
I'm not sure if this truly qualifies for the topic "which ban would I lift and what freedom would I ban" but then again. This whole issue is about what should be allowed and what should be restricted. It really is a sticky mess
In the end I think I'll Pray
...and let God sort it out.
Thanks for reading
and feel free to comment