Minister removes Christian anti-gay therapy from health insurance

Therapy provided by a Christian mental health group to help homosexuals ‘repress their sinful urges’ is being removed from the basic health package, health minister Edith Schippers told parliament in a briefing on Tuesday.

In January, the minister said she found it ‘bizarre’ that the treatment offered by the orthodox Christian organisation Different was being paid for by health insurers. However, because the Different is officially recognised as a provider of therapies, insurers could not refuse to pay.
Now health inspectors have investigated Different and said there is no question of people ‘wrestling’ with their homosexual feelings having psychiatric problems because of their religious beliefs, reports the Telegraaf.
Such people should seek pastoral care which should not be paid for by health insurance, the inspectors say. ‘In these cases, there is no question of a psychiatric diagnosis or psychiatric treatment,’ they say.
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Contraversial gay therapy not aimed at a cure, says minister
Anti-gay Christian therapy is wrong, says minister