Who is a conscientious objector?
A. The law states that a conscientious objector is an employee ” who is a member of a bona fide religion, body, or sect that has historically held conscientious objections to joining or financially supporting public employee organizations would not be required to join, but would instead be required to pay a sum equal to the agency fee to a nonreligious, non-labor charitable fund,” as jointly determined by the University and the union.
Many people have serious questions about whether it is right to take part in war. They may not know the term, or even that there is such a thing as conscientious objection to war, but they may be conscientious objectors. The Constitution gives the government the power to raise an army, so people can be drafted to fight. But, there is also an established right to conscientious objection dating from before the Constitution. It is rooted in our cultural value of freedom — and many religious groups originally came here so they could follow their religion without government interference. Many of these groups came specifically because their belief that killing and war are wrong created problems for them in the country they were fleeing. Once people hear about conscientious objection, they often want to know what is necessary to qualify as a CO with the government. That process is sometimes hard. The rules are fairly specific (and not always fair). However, if COs are properly prepared, gene
