(WatchDogReport.org) – Congressional Democrats recently reignited an effort to approve a bill that outlaws “conversion therapy” practices in the United States. While religious groups have claimed its effectiveness, some scientific studies have discredited this practice, in which the main goal is to turn someone gay into a straight person.
The bill, named The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, was introduced in Congress by California Democratic Representative Ted Lieu. Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Democratic Washington Senator Patty Murray also introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
In a statement, Lieu said this legislation would formally prohibit conversion therapies to “any individual” in the United States. This legislation, which 62 Democratic representatives support, will also outlaw the assistance in administrating this practice for financial gain.
LGBTQ activist groups and some mental health institutions, including the American Psychological Association, publicly endorsed these measures. They argue that conversion therapies are unscientific as they are underpinned by the belief that LGBTQ orientations are pathologies that must be cured.
In a 2022 issue brief, the American Medical Association said that the “professional consensus” wholly rejects pathologizing these identities. It added that “empirical evidence” demonstrated numerous orientations that aren’t linked to mental illness and are “normal variations” of human expression.
Additionally, a 2020 report from the public policy think tank Williams Institute claimed that LGBTQ people in the United States that experience these therapies report significant issues. The think tank explained that these people experienced severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
In his statement, Lieu explained that some medical organizations in the United States “concluded” that this practice has no “validity” and usually hurts young LGBTQ individuals. He also said he celebrates that numerous states in the country have joined this movement and decided to enact prohibitions on conversion therapy practices.
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