For the first time in English history, a judge has ruled that free citizens must engage in compelled speech.
Dr David Mackereth lost his Employment Tribunal case this week after he was fired by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for refusing to identify his patients by anything other than their biological gender.
The DWP’s case against the 56-year-old father of four claimed the doctor’s belief in Genesis 1:27 was not a belief protected by the Equality Act 2010 but was rather a ‘mere opinion.’
Astonishingly, the judge suggested Christians should be compelled by law to abandon their Christian and scientific beliefs which are “incompatible with human dignity” and adopt concepts that do not conflict with gender-fluidity and transgenderism.
A press release issued by Christian Legal Centre says, the judge ruled:
…belief in Genesis 1:27, lack of belief in transgenderism and conscientious objection to transgenderism in our judgement are incompatible with human dignity and conflict with the fundamental rights of others, specifically here, transgender individuals… in so far as those beliefs form part of his wider faith, his wider faith also does not satisfy the requirement of being worthy of respect in a demoncratic society, not incompatible with human dignity and not in conflict with the fundamental rights of others.
A spokesperson for Christian Concern, a Christian organisation in the UK dedicated to protecting Christian freedom, said: “The judgment will have serious ramifications for Christian professionals and indeed all medical professionals, as the judgement dictates the language that professionals must use in the workplace.”
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, called the judgment on of the most concerning rulings she has ever seen, saying: “This is an astonishing judgment and one that if upheld will have seismic consequences not just for the NHS and for Christians, but anyone in the workplace who is prepared to believe and say that we are created male and female.”