Most people would say that someone has the right to be a vegetarian, since it’s a personal choice. But most people would also say that their choice doesn’t give them the right to enter a hot dog eating contest and demand that the rules be changed to accommodate them.
That’s an extreme case, but there are other cases that aren’t so clear-cut. When can an organization be expected to accommodate individual beliefs and practices, and when does the individual have to either comply or go home? What would you say in the following situations?
1. The Muslim weightlifter
Kulsoom Abdullah dresses for competitions the same way she always dresses in public – with her entire body covered, except for her face and hands. But she won’t be able to do that if she wants to participate in competitions governed by the International Weightlifting Federation.
The rules say that the elbows and knees must not be covered, so that judges can verify that the joints are locked and that the competitor is not wearing anything that gives them an advantage. But Abdullah was happy to hear that the IWF is willing to discuss the issue at their next meeting, and possibly allow some kind of exemption.
On the one hand, it’s probably possible to figure out a way to cover her elbows and knees while also allowing the judges to do their job. On the other hand, why should the burden be on the IWF and the judges?
What if the competition was during Ramadan (when Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset), so she wanted to compete at 5 AM instead of the scheduled time of 5 PM? What if someone’s religion requires them to wear thick clothing that makes it impossible to verify that their joints are locked? What if someone’s religion forbids them from touching metal?
2. The Marine at airport security
In the movie Taking Chance, Kevin Bacon plays a Marine Corps officer. As he approaches airport security in his service uniform, the TSA agent asks him to remove his medal-clad coat so it can go through the x-ray. Kevin refuses and asks to be taken to a private room and wanded down.
The TSA agent is annoyed and asks not to be told how to do his job. As the growing line becomes increasingly impatient, the agent again asks that the coat be removed. Kevin says he will not desecrate his uniform by running it through the x-ray, and demands to be wanded down in a private room. The agent allows this, but he isn’t happy about it.
This situation is similar to the previous one. He’s perfectly capable of removing his jacket and making it easy for everyone, but doing so conflicts with his beliefs. The biggest difference is that airports are already set up to allow private screenings – it’s not like the TSA has to debate whether they should allow this.
But suppose that for whatever reason, granting this request was difficult (maybe the person who usually does these things wasn’t on duty at the time). Does Kevin have a reasonable right to refuse to take off his coat, or does he give up that right by choosing to fly?
While we’re at it, what if he believed that planes should just drive on the roads instead of flying? What if he wanted to salute with his left hand?
3. The handicapped golfer
Casey Martin has a birth defect known as Klippel Trenaunay Weber syndrome, which requires him to constantly wear two rubber compression stockings and makes it painful and dangerous to walk long distances. He wanted to use a golf cart in the PGA Tour, but the rules say that everyone walks, as the fatigue from walking is part of the game.
His lawyers submitted videos showing the severity of Martin’s condition, in which his leg turned gray as the blood tried to push its way up. They argued that walking would risk fracturing his leg, which would lead to amputation, and that using a cart would not give him an advantage over his competitors who had to walk.
Martin’s request to use a cart under the Americans with Disabilities Act was initially denied by the PGA Tour in 1997. In 2001 the case went to the Supreme Court, who ruled 7-2 in favor of Martin.
Since this situation involves a disability rather than a personal choice, it might be easy to say that of course he can have a cart. But does that give him an unfair advantage over people who have to walk several miles in the hot sun?
If we’re going to say that walking isn’t part of the game, then anyone should be able to use a cart. If we’re going to say that giving him a slight advantage is an acceptable compromise to allow someone with a disability to play, then what constitutes a disability?
What about a sprained ankle? What about narcolepsy? What if someone who can’t swim for medical reasons wants to enter a triathlon?
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