State official staying home for good reason

The absence of Washington’s Secretary of State Kim Wyman and others from her staff from a national conference of secretaries of state this summer in Nashville, Tennessee, ordinarily would have gone unnoticed.

The Aug. 2 state primary falls shortly after the conference and Wyman’s office is busy updating its filing system for state corporations, among other tasks. So skipping the conference wouldn’t have surprised anyone.

Except that Wyman, a first-term Republican running for re-election this year, made it clear why she and others from her office won’t be going to Nashville: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslams’s signing of legislation that allows mental health counselors to refuse treatment of patients based on the therapist’s personal beliefs. The law allows counselors to refuse patients whose backgrounds, including sexual or gender orientation, go against the therapist’s “sincerely held principles.”

Wyman further explained her decision Thursday on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”: “Access to health care and certainly mental health care counseling when vulnerable people need it most is a high priority for the people I represent. And we have a real history and culture of inclusiveness.”

Many mental health professionals in Tennessee, including devout Christians, are opposed to the new law, but others say they are seeking the same sorts of protections that other states recently have granted to businesses, such as bakeries and florists, who say catering same-sex weddings goes against their religious beliefs.

A decision is expected soon from the Washington state Supreme Court in the case of Richland florist Barronelle Stutzman, who in 2013 refused to provide flowers for a gay couple’s wedding, citing her Christian beliefs, even though she considered one of the men a friend of hers. Stutzman was fined for violating the state’s anti-discrimination law, which was upheld by a Benton County judge. Stutzman appealed, and earlier this spring, the Supreme Court heard the case.

Stutzman clearly violated state law, but — as we have maintained previously — vendors of goods and services who would turn away customers for such petty and theologically weak reasons should suffer the economic consequences they have brought upon themselves. The business that same-sex couples and many others would have brought to those shops is better spent with vendors who desire and appreciate their business.

This, however, does not apply in matters of health, safety and public duty.

Last year when Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in defiance of a court order no less, she was in violation of her oath of office to uphold state and federal laws. If Davis believed that fulfilling that oath required her to go against her religious beliefs, she had the option of resigning her position.

The same option is open to those mental health counselors who feel they cannot serve, for example, a transgendered or gay or lesbian client. For many who seek counseling, particularly those in rural areas, being told to find another counselor is not a realistic option. Indeed, they might be better served by someone else, but a less-than-sympathetic counselor may be better than no counselor at all.

The American Counseling Association called the Tennessee legislation an attack on the association’s code of ethics to which its 60,000 counselors are expected to follow,the association said on its website. “It is also an unwanted and unnecessary blow to the counseling profession and those who benefit from the services of a professional counselor,” the association said.

If a mental health professional feels he or she is not up to the tasks outlined in the above code and is unable to sympathize and provide counsel to a patient, regardless of the patient’s gender identity or sexual orientation, then that counselor might need to reconsider his or her fitness to serve any patient.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

RGB version
Editorial cartoons for Monday, March 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Carson gets a chance to sound the horn in an Everett Fire Department engine with the help of captain Jason Brock during a surprise Make-A-Wish sendoff Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Everett voters will set course for city finances

This fall and in coming years, they will be asked how to fund and support the services they use.

Devotees of TikTok, Mona Swain, center, and her sister, Rachel Swain, right, both of Atlanta, monitor voting at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Editorial: Forced sale of TikTok ignores network of problems

The removal of a Chinese company would still leave concerns for data privacy and the content on apps.

Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, watches the State of the State speech by Gov. Jay Inslee on the second day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Editorial: Legislature has its own production of ‘The Holdovers’

What state lawmakers left behind in good ideas that should get more attention and passage next year.

Comment: Measles outbreaks show importance of MMR vaccinations

The highly contagious disease requires a 95 percent vaccination rate to limit the spread of outbreaks.

Harrop: Should ‘affordable’ come at cost of quality of living?

As states push their cities to ignore zoning rules, the YIMBYs are covering for developers.

Saunders: Classified document cases show degrees of guilt

President Biden’s age might protect him, but the special prosecutor didn’t exonerate him either.

Comment: Clearing the internet of misinformation, deep fakes

With social networks’ spotty moderation record, users need to identify and call out problems they see.

Eco-Nomics: Price of gas, fossil fuels higher than you think

Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels force unseen costs in climate disasters, illness and more.

Vote against I-2117 to keep best tool to protect climate

We voters will be offered the opportunity to repeal Washington state’s Climate… Continue reading

Lack of maternal health care raises risks of deadly sepsis

In today’s contentious climate, we often hear political debates about maternal health… Continue reading

Trump’s stance on abortion isn’t moderate; it’s dangerous

Voters deserve to know the facts and the truth about what will… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.