The Region of Southern Denmark took a significant step towards banning hospital staff from carrying visible religious, political and ideological symbols.
The regional authority has found that a ban would be legal after looking into the issue following the proposal lodged by the Liberal Alliance (LA) and Nye Borgerlige (NB) parties last November.
“At hospitals it is the patients that are in focus and they shouldn’t be confronted with the political and ideological beliefs of the staff treating them,” Marianne Mørk Mathiesen, an LA municipality member, told Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper.
Slippery slope
Mathiesen contends that the decision aligns well with the EU decision earlier this month regarding employers having the right to demand that their employees display religious neutrality.
The local politician underlined that the ban would only concern visible symbols and staff who were in contact with citizens.
“There are quite a few Muslims in our nations now and they should of course be able to show their religious affiliations,” said Mathiesen.
“But as a politician, I must be take the longer view and say that when one ideology is permitted to be visible, then we risk others also wanting to be.”
