Tennessee bill would allow counselors to deny service based on religion

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Wed Apr 6, 2016 7:04pm EDT

Tennessee bill would allow counselors to deny service based on religion

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

[nichomachus]

1. That's a relief

Would you really want a religious wacko as your counselor? Not me.

[ladjf]

2. Lunacy. nt

[trotsky]

3. Yay, religious freedom!