A bill was passed by lawmakers in Tennessee that provides that no counsellor or therapist will be required to provide service to any hospital patient if this will violate the patient's religious beliefs.
SB 1556 was passed by the Tennessee Senate with a 26-5 vote last week and is now up for signature by Gov. Bill Haslam.
The legislation is supported by the Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT) and the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Religion News Service reports.
However, Christian and pastoral counsellors said the bill is not needed and will violate their oath since it will discriminate against LGBT people.
Chris O'Rear, president of the Tennessee Association of Pastoral Therapists (TAPT) and director of Insight Counseling Centers in Nashville, said personally, he does not support the bill as it could become a problem especially for patients in rural areas that have limited mental health services.
"Our code of ethics says if we feel we can't objectively counsel a person for any reason, then we should refer them to someone else," says O'Rear, who is an ordained Baptist. "But sometimes a client doesn't have a choice because perhaps they don't have many options where they live. I don't think these people should be turned away in that case."
Douglas Ronsheim, a Presbyterian minister and AAPC executive director, said the bill violates his organisation's code of ethics and "we would not support the bill in any way."
The AAPC code of ethics says members should "avoid discriminating against or refusing employment, educational opportunity or professional assistance to anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, health status, age, disabilities or national origin."
The code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the Association of Marital and Family Therapists, and the American Psychological Association also prohibit discrimination.
Delores Horsman, a certified Clinical Christian Counselor and director of the International Association of Christian Counselors, said while the organisation does not have a position about the bill, they have one regarding the issue of discrimination.
"Our code of ethics does not eliminate anyone. If someone comes for counsel, our heart is to offer whatever kind of counsel we can whether we agree with them or not. We should still offer something," she said.
She likened this to a doctor who helps a patient, saying, "Everybody needs to be loved, and as Christian counsellors we have to find ways to love people."
