“I will not permit considerations of gender, race, religion, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or social standing to influence my duty of care.”

Sounds good to me! If I were looking for an attorney, I would want to know that he or she were not going to alter the quality of their care or advice or service, based on my gender, race, religion, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or social standing. Would anyone want their attorney to alter, consciously or unconciously, the quality of care they give, for any reason? No, of course not. Because lives are literally at stake here. 

“I will not permit considerations of gender, race, religion, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or social standing to influence my duty of care.”

This one sentence is at the center of a ridiculous controversy being sparked by a small handful of right-wing attorneys in Arizona. The State Bar of Arizona, rightly, wants to update the attorneys’ oath of office to include this sentence, and yet there are lawyers clamoring against it, because they are afraid they could be disbarred if they violate it. Well, maybe you shouldn’t be a lawyer if you think it’s OK to deliver less-than quality care to people you don’t like or with whom you disagree.

But, of course, guess which part they’re really upset about. Disability? No. Gender? No. Race? No. Wait… Yes, thats right: “sexual orientation”. 

Rachel Alexander, in a blog called “Free Republic“, which describes itself as “The Premier Conservative Site on the Net!”, writes:

“Throwing our constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of association down the drain, the State Bar of Arizona is considering a revision to the attorneys’ oath of office that would silence conservative viewpoints on gay issues. The oath would be revised to add the language in red as follows:

“I will not permit considerations of gender, race, religion, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, or social standing to influence my duty of care.”

Severl [sic] attorneys including myself have expressed their opposition in a letter to the Bar. They point out that the language is so broad, it could be used to ban an attorney from publicly expressing a viewpoint on gay issues. It could also prohibit an organization of Christian attorneys like the Alliance Defense Fund or the Christian Legal Society, which holds Bible studies at law schools, from refusing to admit persons of alternative sexual preference to their organizations.

The State Bar of Arizona is a mandatory association for attorneys wishing to practice law in Arizona. As such, they have the power to revoke the license to practice law in Arizona of any attorney they believe has violated this provision. A clause like this has no place in an oath of office, which should consist of nothing more but generally swearing allegiance to the laws of the land. Adding a controversial restriction on our First Amendment rights in order to promote a politically correct left wing agenda is inappropriate and a gross abuse of power by the Bar. If they go ahead with this curtailing of our rights, there will be plenty of lawsuits, and rightly so.

Please call or email the president of the State Bar of Arizona and express your objection to this outrageous infringement upon our rights, Ed.Novak@azbar.org or 602-340-7239.”

These right-wing fringe groups are so stuck in their hatred of homosexuals, that even as lawyers they cannot see through their own, narrowly-focused blinders. If they were thinking as lawyers, the argument made above would be about religion: 

“It could also prohibit an organization of Christian attorneys like the Alliance Defense Fund or the Christian Legal Society, which holds Bible studies at law schools, from refusing to admit persons of alternative sexual preference to their organizations.”

Because, wouldn’t you think that an organization, like, say, the “Christian Legal Society” wouldn’t want to focus on folks who weren’t, say, Christian? Wouldn’t that be their concern? No. Gays. The evil gays whom they are so fearful of. We are their concern. Illogical on so many levels. 

Ms. Alexander does list contact information for the Arizona State Bar. Feel free to let them, or me, below, know how you really feel.

And, amusingly, the only keyword tagged on her post is “homosexualagenda”. Bigotry? I rest my case.