Tennessee bill would allow counselors to deny service based on religion

[jpak]

Source: Reuters

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.

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

[rpannier]

1. Sounds like a violation of the law

But then, when have conservatives ever really cared about the law

[elmac]

2. These religious jihadists

are thumbing their nose at the constitution.

[dembotoz]

3. would go after their certifications

maybe of in tennessee but not for the nationals

[SwankyXomb]

10. Do they need to carry any sort of insurance?

Making that prohibitively expensive would be a start.

[elljay]

4. Police, Fire Department and Medical Personnel next, no doubt

Mosque on fire? Sorry, my religion prevents me from putting it out.
Bleeding from a gunshot would? So sorry, but my religion teaches me that dark skin is the mark of the devil so I can't operate.
Just got robbed? Sorry, but according to my religion, Jews are dishonest, so I won't take the report.

Which is worse, that they think these policies through and still charge forward, or that they don't think it through at all?

[Duppers]

5. Why would anyone want help from a religious zealot?

They'd just heap guilt.

Seriously, there would be a bias that wouldn't be in the patients' best interests.

[Skittles]

6. people get marriage "counseling" from celibate priests all the time

there's really no good explanation

[nichomachus]

11. Yes, but celibate priests aren't prejudiced against married people. nt

[Skittles]

12. as long as they are straight

[nichomachus]

21. Not necessarily

I know a lot of priests who are very sympathetic to the LGBT community. Just because the official church is, don't assume that of all priests.

[One_Life_To_Give]

20. Why there is more here than meets the eye

Doesn't have to be a sign saying "I support Westboro Baptist" to get the point across. Softer language such as "Couciling from a Biblical perspective" would convey a similar warning that this is probably not a place an LGBT person would want to go.

It must be that actually posting their beliefs/discrimination would hurt the rest of their buisiness. They don't want to be hurt in the wallet for their bigotry. That is what I believe this law is really about.

[mrmpa]

7. If you live in the US...........

you abide by its laws, or you get the fuck out. I'm tired of these "religious" groups not wanting to abide by what is the law.

[Solly Mack]

8. It's legalized bigotry dressed up in religion.

Yes, no one should go to a counselor that is prejudiced toward them.

Doesn't change the fact that the law is still legalized bigotry, and governments, be they local, state or federal, should never grant special rights to bigots and their bigotry through laws that promote, defend and encourage said bigotry.

Those hate-filled fuckers always complained that the LGBT community wanted special rights when LGBT people demanded equal rights, but the truth is, it was only those hate-filled assholes that wanted special rights - they wanted their bigotry to be legalized and protected.

Dress your hate up in religion all you want - it's still bigotry. Hiding behind some god makes you a fool and a coward.

I hope the ACA strips the bigots of their memberships.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian explains..

[Solly Mack]

14. and that's exactly how they see it

[olddad56]

9. as a former therapist,

I would never, as a client, want to see a therapist who didn't want me as a client. I don't believe that therapist could help me, and could possibly do be harm.

[FlaGranny]

15. In a way

that would warn any patient that he/she had the wrong therapist. Who would want a therapist that would even consider religion as a basis for "helping" patients?

Actually, if a therapist had some personal reason for not wanting to treat a certain client, the ethical therapist would tell the patient that he didn't think he could help and then refer the patient to another therapist. That's exactly what my Catholic gynecologist did many years ago when I asked him for birth control.

[One_Life_To_Give]

16. Because LGBT's insist on going to Homophobic counselors?

"Yes mam I understand that Marriage is one man and god hates people like me. But would you council me thru my gender transition?" Is not something you are going to hear from a LGBT person.

What they are asking for is not the ability to discriminate. But the abilitty to do so without telling everyone else just how homophobic they are.

[smirkymonkey]

17. This is out of control and it needs to stop.

[olddad56]

18. what if non Christian counselors could refuse to see Christian clients?

[sofa king]

19. As an atheist, can I deny ALL BELIEVERS?

Maybe I want to serve only those who think rationally about the world. Maybe I consider uncritical belief in a hateful goat-herding manual to be a serious flaw both in thinking and in moral character.

Maybe I feel the same about all religions, virtually all of which require faith in the supernatural, which all of us think is stupid (so long as it is not applied to our own stupid beliefs).

Maybe I want to thin the herd by forcing religious people back into their own corrupt, sub-standard religious counseling services, lowering their quality of life and economic power and ultimately, life expectancy.

Will Tennessee now permit me to do that, or does this bill only protect those with their own stupid beliefs?