[Gay] Activist interference--Dec 7 [medical] conference needs your prayers.

Lansing Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. ^ | 12/1/2002 | Catherine Dowling, MD

[Polycarp]

Hello,

The Lansing Guild of the Catholic Medical Association's Dec 7 conference is under attack by gay rights activists. The MSMS has stated they are pulling credit for two of our lectures on same sex attraction. Please pray that the current problem gets resolved soon and peacefully.

This is the scenario:

Dec 7, 2002 conference "Understanding the Gift of Sexuality" (www.cmalansing.org) will be held at the University of Michigan Medical Center.

1. Application for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit was approved in AUGUST for 6 hours of credit through the Michigan State Medical Society.

2. Brochures were printed and distributed.

3. Nov 1st I received a call from an angry gay rights activist telling me she was going to interfere with the conference in various ways. (No other calls from them.)

4. 10 days later I received a letter from the MSMS stating that they were no longer going to jointly sponsor CME programs, but that CME courses that had already been approved and not yet held would still be honored.

5. No other communication.

6. Nov 25th. Received a call from MSMS stating they were "pulling" our CME credits for the two talks on same sex attraction. They mentioned gay rights complaints prompting the MSMS to do their "own" review of the literature with the help of the American Psychological Association and concluded therapy for homosexuality was not effective. They did not request the CMA's input!

7. Contacted Pat Gillen from Thomas More Center for Law and Justice. Pat helped me draft a very powerful letter requesting immediate reversal of MSMS's recent decision to pull credit.

8. With a few phone calls and emails--psychologists, psychiatrists, and experts from around the country helped me compile a large bibliography and some articles and other info supporting the CMA's position. This was sent to the MSMS last Tuesday along with the cover letter.

9. I should hear something by Monday. Please pray that this resolves. If it doesn't I may need to ask you to help by voicing your concern with the MSMS CME programming department. If this happens I will need help right away so please check your emails Monday and Tuesday.

The gay activists are causing trouble just by complaining in sheer numbers.

A professional organization shouldn't have to function based on this approach. The literature should speak for itself. Please pray that we don't have to play this game in medicine, but please help me if we need to. I will update you as soon as I hear and give more specifics in what to "say" to them and email addresses.

Thank you and God bless,

Catherine Dowling, MD President, Lansing Guild of the Catholic Medical Association.

[FormerLib]

Disagreement with the Gaystapo agenda is verboten.

[Polycarp]

I attended this conference last year in Ann Arbor. It was one of the finest Catholic medical conferences I've ever attended. Catherine Dowling, MD is a sweet, humble, and intellectually astute doctor who deserves our prayers and support.

[Polycarp]

Ain't that the Truth.

Some of the most courageous men and women in modern medicine: National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)

[FormerLib]

First, a prayer for those who are attempting to speak the truth.

Almighty God, Who delivered Your people from the bondage of the adversary, and through Your Son cast down Satan like lightning, deliver your servants also from every influence of unclean spirits. Command Satan to depart far from them by the power of Your only begotten Son. Rescue them from demonic imaginings and darkness. Fill them with the light of the Holy Spirit that they may be guarded against all snares of crafty demons. Grant that an angel will always go before them and lead them to the path of righteousness all the days of their lives, to the honor of Your glorious Name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

And a prayer for those attempting to silence the truth.

Lord Jesus Christ, in Your great mercy You prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified You, and You taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Lord, I pray that You forgive those who treat Your servants unjustly, speak out against them in order to silence them, and that You bless them and guide them according to Your will. Take away any bitterness we may have in our hearts against them. Lord, may Your forgiveness, goodness and love be revealed in all of us, to Your praise and glory. Amen.

[Polycarp]

Amen.

Beautiful. Thank you.

[Cicero]

Left-wingers are very strong in most universities these days, and they can stir up a lot of trouble for the administration unless they get what they want. And nothing is more popular with the left at the moment than sexual perversion. That's obviously what's happening here. It's very unfortunate.

One route you might try is to get in touch with directors or board members of some of the local Catholic hospitals and maybe the Bishop of Detroit and see if they can put a little pressure on UMMC from a different direction. Presumably they want to place their medical students in good positions, and an awful lot of jobs are found in Catholic colleges.

The thing to do would be to network with the right people. It would be better to put the pressure on behind the scenes, rather than pick an open fight with gay/lesbian activists.

But if I know college administrators (and I've been dealing with them all my life) they will usually take the easy way out by placating whichever faction is likely to cause them the most trouble. There are honorable exceptions, but they are extremely rare.

[Cicero]

Sorry, I meant to say that there are an awful lot of jobs in Catholic hospitals.

[Polycarp]

The problem here is that the Michigan State Medical Society, which approves the application of CME credits for any continuing medical education program in the state, has arbitrarily pulled 2 of the 6 CME credits for this medical conference.

Its not easy to get the State Medical Society bureacracies to do anything, let alone reverse a boneheaded decidion like this. The Medical Societies are made up of Medical Doctors, not the most humble types willing to correct injustice in my experience.

[Notwithstanding]

Paging Dr. Laura - a NARTH supporter, I believe.

[Polycarp]

Faith and Science are like apples and oranges... oil and water... almost completely mutually exclusive. That, by itself, makes the Catholic Medical Association a virtual oxymoron.

Nice to see your complete and unbiased objectivity laid out right up front, bigot.

Should Reorientation Therapy Be Available? -- APA Journal Article Says Yes

A new 2002 article published by the American Psychological Association journal "Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training" defends the ethics and effectiveness of sexual reorientation therapy.

The paper is entitled "Ethical Issues In Attempts To Ban Reorientation Therapies," by Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. of Regent University and Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D. of Grove City College.

The article's published abstract reads as follows:

The purpose of this article is to identify the ethical issues in efforts to ban reorientation therapies. The 3 primary arguments cited in the literature in favor of such a ban are discussed: (a) homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness, (b) those who request change do so because of internalized homophobia, and (c) sexual orientation is immutable.

The authors present three arguments in favor of providing reorientation and related services: (a) respect for the autonomy and self-determination of persons, (b) respect for valuative frameworks, creeds, and religious values regarding the moral status of same-sex behavior, and (c) service provision given the scientific evidence that efforts to change thoughts, behaviors, and feeling-based sexual orientation can be successful.

Psychotherapy: Theory/Research/Practice/Training, Vol. 39, No. 1, 66-75, Copyright 2002 by the Educational Publishing Foundation. (http://www.apa.org/journals/copyrite.html)

Gay-To-Straight Research
Published In APA Journal

The American Psychological Association's prestigious journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice has just published a comprehensive research paper on sexual-orientation change. Clients have the right to pursue change, the author says, because "sexual orientation, once thought to be an unchanging trait, is actually quite flexible for some people."

An article by Dr. Warren Throckmorton, "Initial Empirical and Clinical Findings Concerning the Change Process for Ex-Gays," has been published in the June 2002 issue of the American Psychological Association's publication Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.

"I'm pleased that this research summary will reach an audience of psychologists and mental health professionals that may not be aware of ex-gay issues," says Throckmorton, the director of college counseling at Grove City College.

"My literature review contradicts the policies of major mental health organizations because it suggests that sexual orientation, once thought to be an unchanging sexual trait, is actually quite flexible for many people, changing as a result of therapy for some, ministry for others and spontaneously for still others."

In professional circles, the debate over the development of sexual orientation centers around two viewpoints. The more prevalent of these, known as the essentialist view, argues that sexual orientation is innate, "in-born," and therefore not subject to change. The APA has supported this view, and therefore has influenced the approach many mental-health practitioners currently take.

The second, and less accepted viewpoint, known as the contructionist perspective, posits that sexual orientation is a socially-constructed product of a client's life experiences and can therefore be modified; people who modify orientation through counseling are known as "ex-gays." Throckmorton's research presents data consistent with this latter view.

"The APA's professionalism in handling this research is commendable and I think it demonstrates the APA's willingness to explore all sides of this important matter," Throckmorton said.

His analysis gathers previous studies of individuals who sought to change their sexual orientation. A majority of those responding to surveys of former gays indicate their experiences were positive and helpful.

This finding is in contrast to claims from some mental health professionals that efforts to change are always harmful.

Frequently religion played a major role in motivating a client to seek reorientation, Throckmorton notes, a fact that leads him to caution mental health professionals against assuming that the profession fully understands the potential and limitation for human change. "For years, public and professional opinion of ex-gay ministries have been influenced by anecdotes from persons not helped by these ministries," he said. "Basing opinions on the experience of only those who have not been helped gives an incomplete and therefore inaccurate picture of the potential for alteration of human sexual identity."

Throckmorton's article summarizes the experiences of thousands of individuals who believe their sexuality has changed as a result of reorientation ministries and counseling.

Throckmorton's article is a continuation of a paper presented at the American Psychological Association conference, Washington, DC, in August 2000 in a standing-room-only symposium, entitled "Gays, Ex-Gays and Ex-Ex Gays--Examining Key Religious Ethical and Diversity Issues." The article adds additional current research and adds recommendations for mental health professionals.

The final recommendation in Throckmorton's list states, "Practitioners should not refuse service to clients who pursue an ex-gay course, but rather, should respect the diversity of choice and consider a referral to an ex-gay ministry or practitioner."

In addition to serving as Grove City College's director of college counseling, Dr. Throckmorton is an associate professor of psychology at the college. A past president of the American Mental Health Counselor's Association, he also holds membership on the Magellan Behavioral Healthcare's National Provider Advisory Board representing licensed professional counselors. In 1998, he received the George E. Hill Distinguished Alumni Award from the faculty of Ohio University's Counselor Education Program. He earned a B.A. from Cedarville College, an M.A. from Central Michigan University and Ph.D. from Ohio University.

[Polycarp]

NARTH Research Studies Published

In April, the peer-reviewed professional journal Psychological Reports published NARTH's survey of 206 sexual-reorientation therapists. In June, Psychological Reports published NARTH's survey of 882 dissatisfied homosexuals. A press release announced both studies.

What the Therapists Reported

The first article, entitled "Beliefs and Practices of Therapists Who Practice Sexual-Reorientation Therapy," was written by Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., A Dean Byrd, Ph.D. of the University of Utah, and Richard W. Potts, M.A., of Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Nicolosi is NARTH's president, and Dr. Byrd is the vice president.

"We wanted to conduct this survey in order to better understand what members of our psychotherapist community believe about conversion therapy and their treatment of dissatisfied homosexuals," said the authors.

They emphasized that the study was not a random survey, but it specifically sought out therapists who conduct reorientation therapy. Most such therapists said they believe the 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from the psychiatric manual was politically, and not scientifically motivated. Most believed that homosexuality is not genetically determined, but that it is a primarily developmental phenomenon which results from a combination of nature and nurture.

The therapists agreed that reorientation therapy is not appropriate for all clients. "Clients have a right to pursue a gay lifestyle," Dr. Nicolosi emphasized, "and change-type therapies should not be imposed on a client who is not receptive."

Two Types of Coercion

Yet there is an opposite type of coercion commonly being practiced, Dr. Nicolosi said; clients who seek change are being told that change is impossible, that their real nature is homosexual, and that they should grow more fully into a gay identity--which for them may be ego-dystonic.

"Therapists have an ethical obligation to respect their client's right to dignity and autonomy," Dr. Nicolosi stressed. "They have no right to tell clients that their religious convictions should be discarded, they were created homosexual, and that the client's only problem is lack of self-acceptance."

A significant minority of the therapists surveyed by NARTH (26%) were themselves ex-gay men and women.

What 882 Ex-Gays Reported

The second study, titled "Retrospective Self-Reports of Changes in Homosexual Orientation: A Consumer Survey on Conversion Therapy Clients," was written by the same three authors as the first NARTH study. Joseph Nicolosi was the Principal Research Investigator, and analysis of the data was performed by a group of statisticians at Brigham Young University.

The study surveyed 882 dissatisfied homosexual people, of whom 726 had received therapy from a professional therapist or pastoral counselor.

Over 67% of the participants indicated they were exclusively or almost exclusively homosexual at one time in their lives, while only 12.8% of them perceived themselves in this manner at the time of the survey.

Significantly, 45.4% of the exclusively homosexual participants reported having made major changes in their orientation.

On the other hand, 35.1% of the participants were unsuccessful in making significant changes.

Those participants who were successful reported statistically significant reductions in the frequency of their homosexual thoughts and fantasies. They also reported significant improvements in other important areas of their lives---particularly, their psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual well-being.

Copies of both published articles are available from NARTH for a suggested donation of $5 each.

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

One of the studies cited by polycarp says this ---

"Significantly, 45.4% of the exclusively homosexual participants reported having made major changes in their orientation.
On the other hand, 35.1% of the participants were unsuccessful in making significant changes."

OK, so the bottom line here is that reparative therapy is successful for a significant number of people, and is a failure for a much smaller - yet still significant - number of people.

Well, duh! Alcoholics Anonymous and similar programs also have a significant number of both successes and failures. And drug-rehab programs have large numbers of each. So do convict-rehab programs. And let's not forget that chemotherapy and radiation therapy save the lives of large numbers of cancer patients, yet fail completely with a huge chunk - perhaps even a majority - of all cancer patients.

So do we hear calls for shutting down AA and drug-rehab and convict-rehab programs, and chemo- and radiation- therapy, based on the fact that they have significant failure rates? No? We don't? They why do we hear calls (from people on madg's side of the PC fence) for shutting down the ex-gay reparative therapy programs?

And madg (who, significantly, has not a thing to say in response to the well- documented scientific evidence presented in polycarp's rebuttals, other than to dismiss it all as "name-calling and propaganda") cites this quote in an earlier post of his ---

"... Since the 1980s the clinical literature contains many examples of gay men treated with psychoanalysis or dynamic psychotherapy [(IE: NARTH, et al) whose sexual orientation did not change during treatment, despite attempts to bring this about (Duberman 1991; McConaghy 1999)."

OK, so we see that Duberman and McConaghy have discovered "many examples of gay men treated ... [who] did not change during treatment ...". Well, like, so what? This claim of "many examples" of failure is certainly in keeping with the research done by the ex-gay therapists, who freely admit to a 35.1% failure rate. So this is not exactly a Startling Relevation from Duberman et al, now, is it?

And it's rather disingenuous - to say the least - for Duberman & Co. (or for someone who has perhaps lifted a quote from them out of context????) to merely note anecdotal information about the many failures and then say nothing about the much larger number of successes! Their statement is not much different than say, a statement like - "Since the 1920s the clinical literature contains many examples of alcoholics treated through AA programs who did not become ex-alcoholics". Or similar to say, a documentary entitled "American Military History 1775-2002" that spends 98% of its time on the Vietnam War.

[FormerLib]

That, by itself, makes the Catholic Medical Association a virtual oxymoron.

So, do you close your eyes and whistle loudly as you drive by Catholic hospitals?

Something about the truth really ticks off the pro-homo cheerleaders!

[FormerLib]

You are welcome to beat the drum for the likes of NARTH if you wish. But be assured that you are in a tiny minority that is not taken seriously by the rest of the population.

Christ started with only 12 to teach the truth (and one of them failed). The numbers do not matter, only the truth that all men can cast aside their sins does.

[Antoninus]

Nov 25th. Received a call from MSMS stating they were "pulling" our CME credits for the two talks on same sex attraction. They mentioned gay rights complaints prompting the MSMS to do their "own" review of the literature with the help of the American Psychological Association and concluded therapy for homosexuality was not effective. They did not request the CMA's input!

Voila! This is how the radical left's iron-fisted control of academia causes dreadful problems. One is forced to wonder who, exactly, did this review. My guess is that the committee (if there even was one) included at least one open homosexual and a bunch of wussies who were only too eager not to offend anyone.

The gay activists are causing trouble just by complaining in sheer numbers.

No, not really. We complain in large numbers sometimes too with no result. The problem is, they're complaining to an audience that is all-too-willing to give ear to their whining. The problem isn't just the radical activist homosexuals, it's the weak-willed, linguini-spined "academics" who won't stand up to them.

[Antoninus]

First of all, Faith and Science are like apples and oranges... oil and water... almost completely mutually exclusive. That, by itself, makes the Catholic Medical Association a virtual oxymoron.

Now there's a one-dimensional comment. Faith and science are not apples and oranges. They are more like ox-carts and automobiles. Both are methods of transportation for getting to a given destination. In the case of faith and science, the destination is, in fact, the same: Truth.

To my mind, however, science must always be the lesser of the two. Science, as it is defined by most people nowadays, utterly precludes the existence of a God who is active in the affairs of men. As this has never been proven and never will be, atheistic science is already on shaky ground from the get-go.

The Catholic Medical Association is just the type of organization those of us who are not atheists are looking for: A group that is dedicated to their scientific vocation but unwilling to embrace irrational godlessness. Hardly an oxymoron.