NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Therapists or counselors in private practice could decline treatment for patients on the basis of “sincerely held religious beliefs” under a bill passed by the Tennessee Senate.
The bill is part of a wave of state legislative proposals to allow clergy, businesses or government officials to refuse services to certain people based on religious views, a response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last June that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.
Sen. Steve Dickerson of Nashville was the lone Republican voting against the bill. He said that as a doctor he would never refuse treatment to anyone. But fellow Republican Sen. Mark Green of Clarksville, another physician, said he regularly refers patients seeking birth control elsewhere.
The House version is scheduled for a subcommittee vote next week.
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Government officials are right out. Businesses too are probably not legally covered by this act because of the 1960s civil rights legislation upheld by the courts. Yeah, I guess ministers of the cloth could discriminate based on their strongly held religious beliefs - and there are so many “rules” to pick and choose from to justify any bias!
Someone should nail a sign to his office door that reads, “No Women or Gays Allowed.”
WTF is wrong with these people? What if I posted my business’s door or window a sign that said “NO BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS, GUN TOTERS, ANTI-ABORTION ZEALOTS ALLOWED SERVICE OR ENTRANCE DUE TO MY DEEPLY-HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS”?
I’ll tell you what would happen. Locals turned away would vehemently complain to the city fathers, police and others in government to have me stop this practice. Why? Because I’m violating their deeply-held religious beliefs! No kidding.
Obviously, they never learned the meaning of the word…IRONY!
I’ve sought treatment for severe depression several times, and as an atheist, it’s dispiriting when your therapist invokes god repeatedly when offering advice. I don’t know why every one I’ve seen relies on “jesus loves you” as the sole reason to keep going. Yeah… that just doesn’t work for me. For a more vulnerable person, being refused treatment because of religious beliefs could be emotionally devastating. Whatever happened to “First, do no harm?” I can’t believe we’re living in an era where it’s becoming okay again to pick and choose which segment of the “public” we will deign to serve.
We’re talking about therapists and counsellors! Their patients, by definition, have serious issues many of which may not comport with “Christian” values. Do they want to help people or not? Do they even take their responsibilities and obligations seriously? This sounds like a violation of their professional creed.