Report on the California "change therapy" hearing
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Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel Earlier today, accompanied by two other members of the Liberty Counsel litigation team, I faced off against the State of California in a Sacramento federal court building to argue for an injunction to stop the implementation of the state’s SB 1172 “change therapy” law before it goes into effect on January 1st, 2013. As you know, this is a very important case. We are giving it a high priority for several reasons, including the fact that cases decided in California tend to become templates for other states. But this case is also a priority because of its outrageous subject matter. If it goes into effect, the new law will only permit counseling that supports same-sex sexual attractions but any and all counseling that seeks to reduce or eliminate same-sex attractions will be strictly prohibited. This outrageous law, in effect, says that only one viewpoint on homosexual sexual activity will be permitted in California -- a positive, supportive one dictated by the power of the state! As a friend of Liberty Counsel, I want you to be among the first to hear what happened today in that federal courtroom. I have recorded a special audio report so that you hear what happened directly from me. Please click here to listen to my special report: www.libertyaction.org/368/ I will be updating you more in the days ahead. God bless you, Mat P.S. If you want to know more about this case, please see my earlier message included below. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The battle to stop pro-homosexual legal activism in our nation is one of the most important fights in American history. That is not an exaggeration, I assure you! A new California law banning any counseling to overcome same-sex attraction will put families, teens, and counselors on the wrong side of the law. In effect, the law tells Californians that only the state knows what’s best regarding this sensitive psychological issue. Only counsel that affirms homosexuality as normal and good will be permitted. Any counsel that seeks to reduce or eliminate unwanted same-sex attractions will be banned. Liberty Counsel has filed a major lawsuit challenging this outrageous law. [We have now had our first hearing in the federal court in Sacramento] This new law forces acceptance of the view that same-sex attractions are good – and that any attempt to reduce or eliminate them is bad! When California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 1172 into law, he boasted that change therapy “will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery.” Once Governor Brown signed it, Liberty Counsel immediately filed suit to block this misguided and dangerous law. The new law requires minors to receive, and counselors to provide, only one view on same-sex attractions…even when the client does not want to act on those attractions! Unless this law is struck down by our lawsuit, the only viewpoint allowed in California will be that same-sex attractions are healthy and that any attempt to reduce or eliminate them will be prohibited by law! If this law is allowed to stand unchallenged, it will likely become a template for the other 49 states to enact. Please, help us STOP this insanity! Liberty Counsel’s Open Letter of Support declaring your endorsement of our lawsuit and the rights of parents, minors, and counselors will let me know that YOU stand with us in this battle. We will also send the Open Letters to the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and the American Association for Christian Counselors to encourage them. Your endorsement and support will help us STOP the implementation of California’s unconstitutional law – and declare that you are united with Liberty Counsel in our landmark lawsuit to stop this act from ever being implemented. Click here to sign the Open Letter of Support: www.libertyaction.org/368/ ++We represent parents, minors, counselors, and counseling organizations in this landmark lawsuit. This law places the state between the client and his or her counselor and intrudes on a client’s fundamental right of self-determination. Clients have the right to seek counseling that aligns with his/her religious and moral values! The law also forces counselors to overrule the will of their clients who choose to prioritize their religious or moral values above unwanted same-sex sexual attraction. This outrageous, unconstitutional law even forbids counselors from referring clients to someone of their choice! For the state to assume that it knows best what kind of counseling individuals should receive is the height of hubris and ignorance. California is, in essence, demanding that counselors disregard their client’s religious beliefs – or change them! Jack, this law must be STOPPED before it is enacted on January 1, 2013. Would you stand with us today by signing the Open Letter of Support? www.libertyaction.org/368/ After signing the Open Letter of Support, you will be given an opportunity to give an immediate gift, and to participate in a special book offer. Click here to sign the Open Letter of Support: www.libertyaction.org/368/ ++Pro-homosexual California legislators have pushed too far! The fact is, the children of our nation’s most populous state have been taken hostage to a radical social agenda! This law is an astounding violation of the right to free speech and religious liberty. Clients have the right to receive information that aligns with their values, and counselors have the right and the duty to provide information to help the clients in pursuit of their right to self-determination. We firmly believe that we will win this case, but it can’t be successful without the help of friends like you! PLEASE consider signing the open letter and giving a special gift to Liberty Counsel as our legal team aggressively confronts this outrageous law: www.libertyaction.org/368/ And, as always, please pray for the Liberty Counsel legal team. Thank you and God bless you, Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman Liberty Counsel P.S. The California Legislature is telling its state’s citizens that the government knows better than parents, patients, and counselors what treatment is needed. Even worse, this is a clear example of an overreaching state government bowing to pressure from pro-homosexual activists. I firmly believe that God has raised Liberty Counsel to fight this critical battle! We are well-experienced in fighting for moral sanity in California’s courtrooms. And we have won in the Golden State more often than not – truly an accomplishment considering that state’s liberal judiciary. Please help us continue our vital work on this case and many others by signing the open letter – and with a generous gift. Please stand with the Liberty Counsel litigation team with your financial support – today if at all possible. Again, thank you! www.libertyaction.org/368/     (Note: Please do not “reply” directly to this e-mail message. This e-mail address is not designed to receive your personal messages. To contact Liberty Counsel with comments, questions or to change your status, see the link at the end of this e-mail.) + + Comments? Questions? http://www.libertyaction.org/ Liberty Counsel, with offices in Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and family. Liberty Counsel . PO Box 540774 . Orlando, FL 32854 .800-671-1776 |
