| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2015
CONTACT
First Stone Ministries Press Contact:
Marci Moyer, Admin. Assistant to Stephen Black
Phone: 405.236.4673
E-mail: media@firststone.org
Oklahoma
Legislature Puts Parental and Family Rights over Politics with HB 1598
OK’s
First Stone Ministries Applauds Parental and Family Rights in Counseling
Protection Act
Oklahoma City,
OK -- First Stone Ministries applauds Rep. Sally Kern and Sen. Josh Brecheen
for introducing HB 1598, the Parental and Family Rights in Counseling
Protection Act, to protect the right of parents and families to seek counseling
from a mental health provider and/or faith-based counselor to overcome unwanted
same-sex attractions (SSA) and/or sexual/gender identity confusion.
“This is a big
step for parental rights and religious liberty for Oklahoma families,
especially those who struggle with sexual and gender identity confusion,” said
Stephen Black, Executive Director of First Stone Ministries in Oklahoma City.
“This bill protects the freedom of individuals to seek help from mental health
providers and faith-based counselors for support, spiritual direction, and pastoral
care and counseling. We urge all Oklahoma legislators to support this landmark
legislation − the
first of its kind in the nation − to send a clear message that
in Oklahoma, parents have the ultimate right to make decisions for their
children’s and family’s mental, emotional, and spiritual health.”
HB 1598 protects
Oklahoma mental health providers, including faith-based counselors, who offer
counseling, psychotherapy, and/or spiritual direction to minors who seek to
reduce or eliminate unwanted homosexual feelings and/or gender identity
confusion.
The bill includes a provision to ensure parents and families who
seek counseling are not subjected to aversion therapy. The therapy, though
rarely-used, is considered harmful and ethically unsound for counseling sexual
identity/orientation/gender issues.
“Oklahoma Children
and their families should be provided with ethical, safe, and effective support
to overcome conflicts surrounding their sexual identity/orientation and their
spirituality,” said Black, “I especially want the confused victims of childhood
sexual abuse to find resolve and comfort through counseling, just as I did. We are
extremely grateful to Rep. Kern’s and Sen. Brecheen’s desire to protect
vulnerable youth from any questionable or unsafe therapeutic practices, while
still maintaining the religious freedom, civil liberties and the right of
self-determination of children and families to receive counseling.”
###
First Stone Ministries (FSM) is located in
Oklahoma City and is a nondenominational ministry, founded in 1976. FSM offers several
Christ-centered services for spiritual direction, see www.firststone.org for more information.
|
