Patricia has played the character of Carlotta Vega on that show for over a decade.  I remember early on her appearances on that show, that she played a housekeeper, of sorts, for one of the main characters, Dorian Lord.  She played a strong role in voicing what should have been Dorian’s conscious when that character got herself into questionable situations by manipulating others.  Eventually, Patricia’s character Carlotta bought a restaurant and continued the role of adviser to many of the shows characters as they experienced problems in their “lives”.  Always her religious wisdoms and values showed through.

        I have quit watching soap operas and many other shows because of my personal beliefs.  I get tired of being “forced”, simply because there doesn’t appear to be many other choices, to watch entertainment shows that continue to erode and chip away at traditional family values or Christian values.   Our family recently gave up television because of many of these issues when the digital conversion took place.

          The problem that Patricia is now voicing is that she was allegedly  given a script or a direction in which she, as her character, was expected to be supportive of a gay storyline  which Patricia says is not authentic to who Patricia is as a Christian; nor would the Christian character Carlotta  realistically support a situation like that.   Patricia has said it is not the gay storyline that she objects to; but rather, the way that her character’s storyline was written.   Christian’s, for the most part, do not condone same sex relationships, as it goes against scripture in the Bible.  The Bible calls homosexuality, or the physical expression of romantic love between two people of the same sex, an abomination. 

           Is it right, fair, or legal for an employer to demand an employee to go against their personal religious beliefs in a job environment?   And, if it IS legal, who should a person obey…their employer or God?

         After hearing that Patricia is alleging that she has been let go of her character and replaced with another actress I started wondering about making a stand in a person’s workplace, when expected in the workplace to violate one’s personal beliefs.  I don’t know about the legality of such issues…but, I do know that it would be especially difficult or impossible to make myself  do or perform any work related job when I felt that it went against my beliefs as a Christian.   In my heart, and here on the blog, I support Patricia and her efforts to put her convictions out there as a testimony to her faith. 

          I wonder, have any of my readers had an experience at work  where they felt conflicted about something the boss expected them to do in their work environment, based on their religious beliefs?  How did you handle that situation? 

           So, the newly titled, Jane Doe rape kits are being offered; the evidence is collected by a specially trained nurse/doctor; and no name is put on the sealed envelopes…only an identifying number.  This way, when and if, the victim is ready to file a police report the evidence is still available.

           States are going to be required to offer the Jane Doe kits starting in 2009.  The kits are expensive; about $800.00.   It will be left up to the states which locations will have the kits available.  This way of collecting evidence just may improve the reporting of rape crimes.  In 2006, before the Jane Doe kits have become more commonly, available…it has been estimated that less than half of all rapes have been reported.  That also means that victims who may have been exposed to Sexually Transmitted Diseases aren’t being tested or treated.  Pregnancies can occur if too much time passes without medical care and of course, unless they seek it out, oftentimes, counseling or support services aren’t offered because the medical/legal profession would not be notified of the attack.  The Jane Doe kits have some definate positives…but what about other issues?

          Some of my questions would be…how long does the evidence, kept in storage, last?  How long would a victim have, before that evidence was no longer viable? The physical evidence and the photo’s collected at the time, in the Jane Doe kits, would still be helpful…but, what about a victim’s documented memories? 

         Would a legal team be able to tear apart a victims testimony in court; if, some extended time passed before a police report was made and documented?  Would their testimony of events be questioned due to a time lapse between the actual rape, identification and prosecution of a suspect?   Could the questioning of a victim’s memories of the rape be called into question; giving the legal representatives an edge in getting the charges of the suspect dismissed?  These are all important questions, as it would be horrible to go through such an experience; only to have it all dismissed, after summoning up the courage to actually file a report and go through the legal process.

         What do you think about the Jane Doe kits for rape victims?  Do you feel they will be helpful or harmful to prosecuting a case against a suspect?