Laura Schlessinger

Laura Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American cultural and moral commentator, most known as host of the very popular Dr. Laura radio call-in show. The show is nationally syndicated and runs three hours a day on weekdays.

Controversies

Name of show and qualifications

Schlessinger is not a licensed medical doctor (she does not have an M.D. degree). Schlessinger's Ph.D. is in physiology (not psychology), and her critics have characterized the show's name as deceptive.

Related Topics:
Ph.D. - Physiology - Psychology

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She has mentioned that her degree is in physiology and that she is a licensed marriage therapist on her web site and during her show, however. Critics contend that she rarely mentions these facts on her show.

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While she claims that she does not do "therapy" and often refers people to seek therapy outside the context of her show, she has received additional criticism because her California Marriage Family and Child Counseling (MFCC) license has been inactive for several years. Further criticism arises because she often refers to herself as "a licensed therapist."

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View of homosexuality

Prior to 1997, Schlessinger was very supportive to gay callers during the show. In those years, she took issue with Christian religious leaders who were opposed to gay relationships, and said that it was cruel to deny love and happiness to gay couples. She renounced this view in 1997 and embraced the opposite view. Soon, her monologues approvingly mentioned groups who claimed they could help homosexuals "turn" heterosexual, and she attacked the American Psychological Association for condemning their stance.

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Afterwards, Schlessinger was frequently criticized in the gay community for her view of homosexuality as a "biological error" and for her opposition to adoption by gay parents. On December 8, 1998 she stated:

Related Topics:
Gay community - Adoption by gay parents

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: I'm sorry — hear it one more time, perfectly clearly: If you're gay or a lesbian, it's a biological error that inhibits you from relating normally to the opposite sex. The fact that you are intelligent, creative and valuable is all true. The error is in your inability to relate sexually intimately, in a loving way to a member of the opposite sex — it is a biological error.

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On, May 10, 2000, The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) ruled that

Related Topics:
May 10 - 2000 - Canadian Broadcast Standards Council

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:her consistent characterization (in episodes reviewed) of the sexual behavior of gays and lesbian as "abnormal", "aberrant", "deviant", "disordered", "dysfunctional", and "an error" constituted abusive discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. As a result, Schlessinger's comments were determined to be in violation of the human rights provision of the CAB Code of Ethics.

Related Topics:
Discrimination - Human rights

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The CBSC found similar fault with her generalized statements that pedophilia is more prevalent among members of the gay community. However, the CBSC also ruled that,

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:in a number of other areas complained of, notably the issues relating to the gay agenda, gay culture, fatherless homes and the issues surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, Schlessinger's comments could not reasonably be interpreted on these various episodes as being in violation of either Clause 2 or 6 of the CAB Code of Ethics. http://www.ccnr.ca/english/cbscdocs/prs/2000/0005.htm

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Over the next year, most Canadian stations carrying the show dropped it.

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Schlessinger attempted to repair the breach with the gay community without success. Her March 2000 public apology on her radio show was withdrawn two weeks later when it was not whole-heartedly accepted. In October 2000, Schlessinger paid for a full-page ad in the "Gay Hollywood" issue of Variety, as a Yom Kippur apology for previous negative remarks.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Variety - Yom Kippur

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Perceived hypocrisy

The fact that Schlessinger is herself divorced has often led to allegations that she does not practice the same high moral standards she preaches. Other old incidents, such as some long-ago nude pictures of her being posted on the Internet by a former lover, did not help this reputation, but were dismissed by supporters as happening before Schlessinger had adopted ? and begun speaking about ? her later moral views.

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In December 2002, Schlessinger's mother Yolanda was found dead in her condominium, her corpse having been there for months. Controversy arose because of Schlessinger's previous advice to callers telling them to "honor thy father and mother" was viewed by some as contrasting with her not knowing her own mother had died months ago. Some felt Schlessinger handled the situation poorly, making statements that disrespected her mother after her death. Schlessinger often said that her not speaking to her mother was her mother's choice.

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Schlessinger has often observed that a hypocrite says "Do what I say, not what I do" rather than, as she says, "Do what I say, not what I did." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1006548 Critics then found that despite her claims to be an Orthodox Jew, she was entering sailboat races on Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath. Schlessinger soon after announced she was leaving Orthodoxy July, 2003.

Related Topics:
Sailboat - Saturdays, the Jewish sabbath - July - 2003

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