Conversion therapy: Health professionals say ethical, legal obligations could clash in Malta
The Malta Chamber of Psychologists said that while homosexuals should enjoy the same rights as everyone else in Maltese society, the proposed Bill which will criminalise conversion therapy will ‘directly impact’ their profession.
The Malta Chamber of Psychologists said that the new legislation could pose a problem for mental health professionals because clients might want to explore a particular avenue of treatment or counselling, which could however, be interpreted as a crime by the authorities.
“On the one hand, the professional would feel compelled to follow ethical obligations and explore which path the client desires to follow. On the other hand, said professional may risk being accused of illegal and discriminatory practice should someone interpret this as an attempt to change the client’s sexual orientation. Our profession is guided by ethics not by law.”
Read more at independent.com.mt
Photo by Benson Kua [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons