Tennessee bill would allow counselors to deny service based on religion

[steve2470]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennessee-bill-idUSKCN0X32RE

The Tennessee House passed a bill on Wednesday allowing mental health counselors to refuse service to patients on religious grounds, the latest in a list of U.S. state measures that gay rights activists have criticized as discriminating against the LGBT community.

A vote by the state House of Representatives protects therapists and counselors from civil lawsuits and criminal action if they deny services to clients whose religious beliefs conflict with their own.

The bill passed by a 68-22 vote and sent to Gov. Bill Haslam for his signature. The state Senate passed the bill earlier this year.

Supporters of the bill say it protects the rights of counselors who object on religious grounds to the adopted code of ethics of the American Counseling Association. But opponents say it is an attempt to deny service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, a vulnerable population often in need of counseling services.


In addition to the anti-LGBT aspect, the oh-so-offended-RW-Christian-"counselors" can refuse service to Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and even LIBERAL Christians. POS legislation. The Governor *might* veto it but.... sigh

[scscholar]

1. Why would you want a counselor that doesn't want to help you?

Sounds like instead, they should just put those people in prison.

[tymorial]

2. A counselor who is disinterested in their clients

Is not going to be an effective therapist. There are timea where a relationship between a therapist and client does not work out. Sometimes a patient will request a change in provider and other times the therapist will suggest a colleague who may be better suited to help a particular person with a particular problem. I have encountered this both as a patient and as a practitioner. While laws such as these are thinly-veiled covers for intolerance and bigotry, I would suggest that a.member of the LGBTQ community who needs mental/behavioral health services would do better to avoid practioners who condone and adopt these laws as practice policy. Trust me, the last person you want helping you is someone who does not respect you.

[Skittles]

3. question

a counselor who makes exceptions that demonstrate their disdain / lack of respect for certain people, how is that not a violation of what counselors are supposed to be? Doesn't that show that THEY need counseling?

[tymorial]

4. It is a lack of ethics

That said this type of behavior has been going on for years. There are also legitimate reasons why a counselor may discharge a patient or may recommend a colleague to a patient. I know of some bigoted therapists who refuse to see certain patients. There are always ways around seeing a patient if you really don't want to see them.

My point is while this law is reprehensible there would be no benefit to force a therapist to treat you when they do not respect or care about you as a person. I say this as both a therapist and bisexual man.

[steve2470]

6. I agree with tymorial

Yes, the law is shitty and just a cover for LGBT discrimination. However, a counselor has no business treating anyone they do not respect. I'd rather TN just leave the situation as it is, and continue allowing "religious counselors"/Christian counselors/whateverthehelltheycallthemselvesthesedays to just refer LGBT people to counselors who DO respect them and want to work with them. It's just a really horrible situation having a right wing Christian counselor attempt treatment of any kind with LGBT. That contempt and disdain is just going to seep out no matter how hard the "counselor" tries to mask it.

To your last point, I would agree. We all know that problem is mostly rooted in religion, the wrong kind.

[Marrah_G]

5. People need to wake up

Even if you are not LGBT, you too can be denied service. So if you don't speak out because it doesn't effect you, just wait a while, it will.

[cheapdate]

7. In other Tennessee news,

there's a bill on the governor's desk right now that would make the Holy Bible the official Tennessee state book.

I kid you not.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/04/bill-make-bible-official-state-book-heads-haslam/82625250/

[steve2470]

8. I guess all those legislators, if they went to law school....

flunked Constitutional Law 101.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

Somehow I think even the conservative Justices on SCOTUS would unanimously strike down that TN law if it becomes law.

[Tsiyu]

9. It appears that the Olde Thyme Relijuss Legislators all got the memo

Time to ramp up the "My god is a bigger asshole than your god" contest in NC, Alabama, Georgia, and so on.

You see, this is how the Plantation Masters keep the masses down. They rain down hellfire and brimstone on non-believers for that guaranteed Jesus-overdosed vote.

They will have all the preachers in Tennessee waxing lyrical about the glorious wonder of denying the heathen who are mentally ill any help.

"Won't Jesus be so proud of us! We're tormenting and using tax money to discriminate against the least of these, just the way He likes it!"

Haslam, worth 3 billion bucks, ought to be smart enough to veto, but that may be underestimating the craven mind of a man who has more than enough resources for a hundred lifetimes. Why would he lower himself to care about a Jewish bi-polar patient or a Native American PTSD sufferer or a Muslim OCD sufferer?

The god of these people is a very cruel master. But also in the South, the Constitution is just an amusing piece of paper. As in "how amusing that you think you have any rights here unless you think, eat, breathe pray and look just like us."

Luckily, the old Plantation owners will all die out within the next 20 years. And their votes today ensure future generations want nothing to do with their sky daddy's ethics.

"Praise Jesus!"

"Who can we discriminate against next, Ethel?"

"Ask the Koch Brothers!"

"Great idea! Praise Jesus!"

[Rex]

10. Wow...it is as if these states watched Florida, Texas, Arizona try and out freedumb each other

and said Fuck It why not us too.

[AgadorSparticus]

11. Jesus christ!!!! WTH is going on in these mucked up states?