Obama administration calls for national ban on conversion therapy for minors
April 10, 2015
Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, said that the Obama administration supports proposed federal legislation that would ban conversion therapy for minors.
“Conversion therapy generally refers to any practices by mental health providers that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” Jarrett stated.
“The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm,” she added. “As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.”
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Further information:
- Response to Your Petition on Conversion Therapy (White House)
- Leelah’s Law Is Bad Law And Bad Medicine (The Federalist)
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Posted by: stpetric -
Apr. 11, 2015 4:32 PM ET USA
The matter of "conversion therapy" has been politicized for so long that it's difficult to find valid and reliable research on its outcomes. Researchers have been scared off from even asking the question of how malleable sexual attraction and behaviors are.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Apr. 11, 2015 1:17 AM ET USA
What about the harm caused to children by not providing them therapy when they are young? Subsidiarity is suffering the same debilitating attacks today as all the "controversial" areas of moral doctrine. I wonder if any bishops will have the audacity to stand against this attack on religious families. Will parents soon find themselves facing jail time for daring to raise their children according to the moral code of their religion? Is compassion now limited to whatever feels good?
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Posted by: aclune9083 -
Apr. 10, 2015 10:43 PM ET USA
What "overwhelming evidence" does the political hack Jarrett have that justifies outlawing the treatment of what has been for all previous times a serious mental disorder?
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Posted by: shrink -
Apr. 10, 2015 2:57 PM ET USA
A another sign of the insanity of our governing elites, who politicize mental disease for the purposes of subverting traditional christian praxis.
