Bill would ban therapy to 'convert' gay youths

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

California could become the first state in the nation to ban therapy aimed at turning gay and lesbian youths straight, after legislators in a key policy committee approved the proposed law Tuesday and sent it to the Senate floor.

SB1172 by Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), would make it illegal for therapists and psychologists to provide so-called sexual orientation change therapy - also known as conversion or reorientation therapy - to minors and require them to obtain written consent from adults who wish to undergo the counseling.

The bill cites a 2009 American Psychological Association report, which concluded this type of mental health therapy is "unlikely to be successful and involves some risk of harm," including depression, thoughts of suicide and anxiety.

If approved by lawmakers and signed into law, the measure would permit lawsuits and damages against therapy professionals who provide the treatment to minors or to adults who have not given written consent.

Lieu said Tuesday that the measure would regulate a form of therapy that has "no medical basis."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/09/MNFE1OF5QT.DTL&feed=rss.news