NASHVILLE, Tenn.—As the House prepares to vote tomorrow on HB1840, state legislators joined the American Counseling Association and the Tennessee Equality Project at a press conference today to discuss the negative effects of House Bill 1840. HB 1840, also known as Hate Bill 1840, would permit counselors to deny services and refer clients based on the provider’s “strongly held religious beliefs.” Not only is the proposed legislation discriminatory in nature, but it is also an unnecessary government intrusion that could result in costly unintended consequences for the state of Tennessee– for the hundreds of thousands of state residents whose reliance on accessible and professional counseling services could be harmed; for the state’s eligibility for federal healthcare funding that could be jeopardized by the discriminatory nature of this legislation; and for the bottom line of Tennessee small businesses and the state’s tourism and convention industries, which could be negatively affected if Tennessee becomes “the next” state to enter into the contentious national debate surrounding LGBTQ rights and religious freedom legislation.
Today, lawmakers joined representatives from the ACA and Tennessee Equality Project to discuss the potential impact of HB 1840 as well as the ongoing efforts to stop the legislation.
Said Representative John Ray Clemmons, “Providing access to vital healthcare services and ensuring equality for all are two of my top priorities. This legislation strikes at the heart of both of those issues and threatens individuals and children who are most vulnerable, tarnishes our state’s integrity and jeopardizes our economic prosperity. We, as Tennesseans, must stand united against this hate-laced legislation.”
Art Terrazas, Director of American Counseling Association said, “This bill is an unprecedented attack on the counseling profession and endangers the health and well-being of Tennesseans. HB 1840 puts the government into people’s private lives, right between a person and their healthcare provider. Exactly where the government shouldn’t be.”
Said Chris Sanders, Executive Director of the Tennessee Equality Project, “Hate Bill 1840 is particularly dangerous for rural LGBT people who may have few options for counseling. This bill further isolates them by introducing new barriers to care.”
Lisa Henderson, Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Member for the Tennessee Counselors Association added, “The core tenet of counseling is seeking to understand someone else’s experience, collaborating with that person and working toward health and balance. This bill’s existence goes against those principles. The proposed changes to the code of ethics were not brought to ACA when the code was open for comment, they were not brought to the Tennessee licensing board nor were they brought to the Tennessee Counseling Association or any other state counseling organization. The proposed changes went straight to the legislature and into bill format. As a profession we should work together to understand each of our members’ perspectives and find common ground. We must not participate in the current trend of distancing ourselves from those who see and experience the world differently.”
Dianne Bradley, PhD, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Counselor Educator said, “House Bill 1840, now known as “Hate Bill 1840” is an attempted solution to a problem that does not exist. Counselors and therapists have always had and continue to have the mechanisms in place to refer clients and potential clients in an ethical, prudent, and responsible manner. Our religious freedoms and personally held beliefs have not been compromised. We as clinicians are professionals who have the freedom to maintain our values and religious beliefs and yet are still able to provide professional care for those who seek our services.”
Robbie Hutchens, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, said “HB1840 is an open invitation for all other forms of discrimination. A ‘sincerely held religious belief’ casts an incredibly wide net, primarily because there so many different religions represented in our country. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics prohibits discrimination based on race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, health status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or relationship status; however, one could successfully find a reason to send away essentially any consumer through the lens of religion.”
Added Peter Wilson, Ed.D. Director of the Graduate Counseling Program at Trevecca Nazarene University, “As a counselor educator, I am concerned that HB 1840 attacks the ACA Code of Ethics, a document that is critical to the training of future counselors. There are 23 academic institutions in Tennessee that train students to become professional counselors. These students are taught how to appropriately refer clients without imposing their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. This legislation is unnecessary and is an infringement of the government on a profession that is capable of governing itself. Vote ‘No’ on HB 1840.”
