Maintaining Ethical Standards
Maintaining Ethical Standards BSHS/335 1/20/15
The case study that I chose is Emily and Lois. They are a legally married same sex couple who lives in San Francisco; a state that acknowledges same sex marriage. Later on they re-locate to a state that does not recognize same sex marriage. They are now faced with discrimination and threats from family members and neighbors. Emily parents have also filed a petition to get custody of their child, because they don’t believe that the two women can properly raise a child. When the couple came to me for help, I took a look at the situation. The ethical issues that I am faced with are, although I am a heterosexual counselor, I still sympathize with what the couple is going through especially since a child is involved. Helping the couple will take a lot of work. First I would sit both of them down and listen to everything that they are going through. I would give them the pros of staying together in the state, then I would give them the con, because the state we are in does not recognize same-sex marriage, they would lose their benefits; such as tax benefits, health and social security benefits. In the case of discrimination, the state will not offer any kind of recourse because the state law itself won’t accept the marriage.
I would then discuss with the couple, the custody battle with Emily’s parents. First I would
The case study that I chose is Emily and Lois. They are a legally married same sex couple who lives in San Francisco; a state that acknowledges same sex marriage. Later on they re-locate to a state that does not recognize same sex marriage. They are now faced with discrimination and threats from family members and neighbors. Emily parents have also filed a petition to get custody of their child, because they don’t believe that the two women can properly raise a child. When the couple came to me for help, I took a look at the situation. The ethical issues that I am faced with are, although I am a heterosexual counselor, I still sympathize with what the couple is going through especially since a child is involved. Helping the couple will take a lot of work. First I would sit both of them down and listen to everything that they are going through. I would give them the pros of staying together in the state, then I would give them the con, because the state we are in does not recognize same-sex marriage, they would lose their benefits; such as tax benefits, health and social security benefits. In the case of discrimination, the state will not offer any kind of recourse because the state law itself won’t accept the marriage.
I would then discuss with the couple, the custody battle with Emily’s parents. First I would