Nikki Lee Health

I’ve held a job since I was 16, starting out as a dietary aide in the local hospital kitchen and an after–school clerk in the local drugstore, and moving to working in hospitals and public health agencies as a nurse and lactation consultant. Only once in that half-century did I ever quit a job because the work became too draining to do; I was a childbirth educator at a health center. The administration, organization, and setting for that work was so dismal and dysfunctional that it was impossible for me to do a good job. My energy and motivation were sucked away by the entire place. After over a year of trying my best, I resigned.

I’ve met thousands of clients during my work career, all sorts of people. There were some people that I did not like, or whose lifestyles were totally different to mine; I still honored the obligation to give those people the same attention and care that I gave to those who were easy to work with and with whom I had fun. The possibility of refusing my services to someone that I did not like was never an option.

Today, things have changed. A pediatrician can refuse to take care of a baby because the parents of that baby are deemed less than worthy. “After ‘much prayer’, doctor refuses to see 6-day-old baby because she has two moms.”  Pharmacists are refusing to fill particular prescriptions because of a conflict with their personal beliefs. A county clerk refuses fulfill all the obligations of her job, and won’t sign marriage licenses for lawfully entitled couples and seeks legal support for bending the law to suit her beliefs.

When one takes a job, one  is promising to perform all the functions of that job. Work can’t be tailored to suit individual belief systems. When I seek service, I expect that the person I hire will do the work. If the job becomes abhorrent or impossible to perform completely, then  either don’t do it at all or seek legal recourse if the employer is breaking the law. Refusing to do one’s job  betrays public trust.