Unmasking the Illusion: Safeguarding Individual Freedoms in the Face of Common Good Debates

Irish Green Party Senator Pauline O'Reilly recently defended a piece of legislation being debated by stating; "When one thinks about it, all law and all legislation is about the restriction of freedom. This is exactly what we are doing here. We are restricting freedom, but we are doing it for the common good."  She went on to state; "If a person's views on other people's identities make their lives unsafe and insecure, and cause them such deep discomfort that they cannot live in peace, our job as legislators is to restrict those freedoms for the common good."