ACA Responds to Governor Haslam's Comments on Hate Bill 1840

April 21, 2016 - In an interview with NPR's Morning Edition today, Governor Bill Haslam discussed HB 1840, a bill recently passed by the Tennessee legislature that would permit counselors to deny services to clients passed on the providers' personal beliefs.

The American Counseling Association has been vocal in opposition to HB 1840, also known as Hate Bill 1840, because it is discriminatory by nature and is an unnecessary government intrusion that will likely result in costly unintended consequences for the state of Tennessee.

In his interview, Governor Haslam discussed the ACA's opposition to the bill, noting that he wonders if "whether you're a religious person or not...can you counsel from a total non-value-based position? "

Art Terrazas, ACA Director of Government Affairs, issued the following statement in response to Governor Haslam's remarks:

"We are disappointed to hear that Governor Haslam has such a fundamental misunderstanding of the counseling profession.

Counselors' work is absolutely based on values. We value the principle that anyone, regardless of their religion or sexuality, should have access to the help they need. Our values are codified in our Code of Ethics, something to which nearly 60,000 counselors abide.

Hate Bill 1840 is an unprecedented attack on that Code of Ethics, and on our values as counselors. It mischaracterizes our profession and puts the people of Tennessee in harm's way.

We remain hopeful that Governor Haslam will recognize that this bill is dangerous for Tennesseans of all walks of life and veto Hate Bill 1840. "