Kim Davis Jailed

[Platapus]

Being a professional is not just being paid for something. It is agreeing to abide by a common set of ethics associated with the other professionals in the same field... even if they conflict with a person's personal ethics.

Members of the military have dealt with this for centuries. When I was in the military, I certainly provided support and in some cases actively participated in operations that were in direct conflict with my personal ethics. As a professional, I understood the importance of putting my personal ethics aside in favour of my professional ethics.

If a profession's ethics conflict sufficiently with a person's personal ethics, that person should not voluntarily participate in that profession.

But once you accept "the queens shilling", you are agreeing to abide by that profession's ethics. This is especially true in public service.

The public MUST have confidence that the people in the profession of public service carry out their duties according to law/regulations. We can not have people accepting public money and then deciding whether their personal or public service ethics take precedence.

People need to understand that performing a duty does not imply a personal acceptance or non acceptance of that duty or its effects.