Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Michele Bachmann refuses to answer questions about her husband’s clinic

By Eric W. Dolan/Raw Story

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN) has remained silent on her husband's Christian counseling center, which reportedly practices a discredited "reparative therapy" aimed at converting patients into heterosexuals.
ABC News presented undercover video Monday that confirms the clinic owned by Bachmann and her husband, Dr. Marcus Bachmann, does indeed try to "pray away the gay."
When News8 anchor RaeChelle Davis asked Bachmann on Monday about the hidden camera video, the congresswoman refused to answer the question.
"Well, I'm running for the presidency of the United States and I am here today to talk about job creation," she said.
When pressed for an answer, Bachmann against responded: "Well, I'm here to run for the presidency of the United States," adding she was "very proud" of her and her husband's business.
When ABC News confronted Bachmann about reparative therapy being practiced at her clinic, she again refused to talk about it.
"I'm focusing on turning the economy around and on jobs so that's what I'm focusing on," she responded
The American Psychological Association andAmerican Psychiatric Association have both said there is no evidence that reparative therapy can change sexual orientation.
"This is so far outside the mainstream it's practically on Mars," Dr. Jack Drescher told ABC News. He added that the therapy could actually harm patients.
Marcus said in a radio interview unearthed by ThinkProgress that "barbarians need to be educated" when asked how parents should deal with non-heterosexual children.
"They need to be disciplined," he said last year onPoint of View Radio Talk Show. "Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go down that road. That’s what is called the sinful nature."

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