The Congress of Tennessee has passed a bill that would allow mental counselors to deny service to patients on religious grounds. Tennessee will be the first state to impose such measure, if the proposal is signed into a law.
Although the aforementioned bill got a staggering 68-22 vote on the House floor, the Government Affairs for the American Counseling Association described the bill as an unprecedented attack on the counseling profession, according to ABC News.
Reuters reports that supporters of the bill believe it will protect the rights of the counsellors who deny their service on the grounds of religious beliefs. Opponents of the bill, however, see the measure as a discrimination against gay and other people that needs therapy.
According to Representative Mathew Hill of Jonesborough, they are standing up for the rights of everyone. Knoxville Mercury notes that Representative Dan Howell of Georgetown who sponsored the bill said the words gay and transgender are nowhere to be found in the text but has dominated most of the discussion.
Democrat Representative John Ray Clemmons of Nashville said that Tennessee would be an outlet for bullying if the legislation passes through. He added that he is intrigued that the House is blocking the way for people that seek help from the state of Tennessee. The bill, however, would not allow any counsellors to turn away from someone who is in imminent danger of harm to one's self or others.
Conservative Christian lawmakers who were dismayed with the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage were the one who started the campaign across the country. The bill in Tennessee is only limited to counselors but it will, however, allow them to deny any service that goes beyond their religious belief. The passage of the bill in the House of Congress has been strongly condemned by the Tennessee Equality Project which support the rights of gays. They are now asking the governor to repeal the legislation.
