Tell the Tennessee Legislature to Stop Hate Bill 1840--State-Sanctioned Discrimination Cannot be ...

Imagine you are in a moment of crisis. You decide you need support and seek out a mental health care professional. But instead of offering help, the professional care provider tells you that your lifestyle is a violation of his or her strongly held religious beliefs and that you should seek help elsewhere.

Sadly, this nightmare scenario is exactly what could happen if Tennessee state representatives passed Hate Bill 1840. The bill, which passed the Tennessee state senate in February, seeks to allow counselors and other mental health care providers to deny services to individuals based on the personally-held religious beliefs of the care provider.

Following in the footsteps of Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana and other states, bill sponsor Rep. Dan Howell (R-Georgetown) is advocating for this bill under the banner of “religious liberty.” In reality, though, Hate Bill 1840 places the religious views of individual counselors above the ethical obligations of counselors – as set out by the American Counseling Association, and above the needs of patients. If passed into law, Hate Bill 1840 would allow a therapist or counselor to deny service to individuals without being liable for a discrimination lawsuit.

Don’t let Tennessee sanction discrimination and make it more difficult for people who are struggling to get the help that they need. Sign the petition to tell Speaker Harwell and the State Legislature to oppose Hate Bill 1840 and make sure Tennessee serves ALL those in need of mental health care!