Excited to be moderating a program in August at the American Psychological Association Convention that will feature UVA Professor Douglas Laycock and ACLU LGBT and AIDS Project Staff Attorney Joshua Block speaking about Conscience Clauses and Professional Education and Licensing: Freedom for the Practitioner or License to Discriminate? The purpose is to give psychologists attending the convention from across the country (and the world) an opportunity to hear from legal experts on both sides about this important issue that affects training and licensing requirements for professional psychologists. Psychology students are advocating in the courts for their right to opt out of certain curricular and clinical training requirements based on their religious or moral beliefs and numerous state legislatures are considering (and some have passed) legislation either allowing students such a right or allowing licensed professionals the right to refuse services based on religious or moral beliefs without facing disciplinary action. Universities and colleges are defending their right to establish and enforce neutral academic and training requirements even where those requirements impose some burden on a student’s beliefs. Civil rights groups and their allies are resisting state laws that create exceptions to licensing or training requirements based on moral or religious beliefs as authorizing discrimination. Advocates for conscience clauses argue that the government doesn’t have an overriding compelling interest in enforcing practice and training requirements and that their free exercise of religion is burdened without the opt out opportunity provided by such clauses. If you are one of the thousands of psychologists and psychology students who will be at the Convention or have a friend who will be, I hope you will attend or encourage your friends to attend this important session.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:51:54 +0000
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