“Members of a Hutterite colony near Three Hills, Alta., say they will drive without being licensed if the government mandates photos on driving licences.
In July, after a lengthy legal battle, the Supreme Court sided with the Alberta government in a 4-3 decision, saying pictures on driving licences are required for security purposes.”
I want to start here by discussing the Hutterite’s apparent reasoning for opposing photographs because, like many religious superstitions, it is rather irrational. “The Wilson Springs colony based their position on the belief that images are prohibited by the Second Commandment” (Hutterites exempt from driver's licence photos: Appeal Court). The Second Commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me/you shall not make for yourself an idol.” The Hutterite argument is that photography idolizes people. While that may be true in some cases i.e. a celebrity walking down the red carpet, it is not the purpose of photos on driving licences. The image in a driving licence is not one that any sane person would want to idolize. I’m not familiar with Alberta laws but here in Ontario you can’t even smile in the photograph. This requirement doesn’t sound like its intent is to create images that are to be idolized.
Canada’s laws are not based upon the Ten Commandments thus it is difficult for the Hutterite’s to make a legal case based on the violation of that commandment. Religious freedom is fine as long as it is doing no harm to others. In this case it seems that harm may be done as the photos can be used to easily identify drivers who may have violated the law. If we don’t have that security system in place then we could be risking further harm to Canadians. It also raises concerns of identity theft. (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/07/24/hutterite-supreme-court024.html). The goal here is not to create images to be idolized nor is it an invasion of privacy. Driving is a privilege, not a right. The government is not violating any rights of the Hutterites by creating a condition that makes it difficult, in their minds, to obtain a license. Furthermore, they have no right to violate the law by driving without licence.
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