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APA Ignored Evidence that Homosexual Behaviour is Part of Psychiatric Disorder Says Noted Psychiatirst

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, July 25, 2005 (LifeSiteNews) - In an interview with the Rome-based Zenit news service, Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons a psychiatrist and member of the Catholic Medical Association, said that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has ignored evidence that homosexual behaviour is a manifestation of a psychiatric disorder. In their recent call for the legalization of homosexual marriage, the APA has revealed a political bias that is of no service to homosexuals, said Fitzgibbons the primary author of the Catholic Medical Association's document 'Homosexuality and Hope.'

Fitzgibbons, the co-author of a book on forgiveness published by the APA, said the APA has also chosen to ignore the potential impact on children in those "marriages." It is being increasingly proven that children have a critical psychological need for a stable family life with a mother and a father, which the homosexual lifestyle cannot provide.

At the APA's most recent convention in Atlanta, the 250 delegates passed a resolution stating, "In the interests of maintaining and promoting mental health, the APA supports the legal recognition of same-sex civil marriage with all rights, benefits and responsibilities conferred by civil marriage, and opposes restrictions to those same rights, benefits and responsibilities."

Fitzgibbons lists a host of psychological difficulties faced by those who accept a 'homosexual orientation' as normal. He said, "These include major depression, suicidal ideation and attempts, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, conduct disorder, low self-esteem in males and sexual promiscuity with an inability to maintain committed relationships."

He noted also that, "'homophobia' is not the cause of these disorders, as many of these studies were done in cultures in which homosexuality is widely accepted." These studies, he said, along with evidence of the medical problems associated with un-natural sexual practices, have been ignored by the APA.

Other groups attempting to help individuals afflicted with homosexual tendencies also responded to the APA endorsement.

The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) Scientific Advisory Committee Chairman Dr. A. Dean Byrd, told the online homosexual news magazine, The Southern Voice, "There's just not science backing these policies. I think organizations ought to be guided by science, not activism."

Even one member of the APA said that the organization had overstepped its bounds. Dr. Daniel Cowell, a member of the West Virginia Psychiatrist Association said, "I think the rationale makes sense only if the APA is involved in political issues--and it most certainly is not. This strays beyond our bounds. We should stay out of it."

Read the Zenit interview:
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=41158

Read the book, Homosexuality and Hope, co-authored by Dr. Fitzgibbons:
http://www.cathmed.org/publications/homosexuality.html

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