Over the screams and shouts of the Christianist snake oil merchants who make a living preying on the parents of LGBT youth who are willing to pay big bucks to "cure" their gay child, the California legislature has enacted a ban therapist using the debunked "reparative therapy" on those under the age of 18 years. Frankly, the ban should have banned the use of the fraudulent and down right dangerous practice for everyone, but at least this action is a start in the right direction. No doubt the Christofascists will now be terrified that other states may summon the nerve to likewise protect minors from charlatans. Should that happen, PFOX and NARTH might go out of business. The Chicago Tribune has details. Here are excerpts:
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's state Assembly approved a bill on Tuesday to prohibit children and teenagers from undergoing a controversial therapy that aims to reverse homosexuality, moving the state closer to becoming the first to impose such a ban.
The 51-21 vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly marked a major victory for gay rights advocates who say the so-called conversion therapy has no medical basis because homosexuality is not a disorder.
Opponents of the practice say such attempts to change sexual orientation can cause depression and lead to substance abuse and suicide.
Several openly gay legislators championed the bill in emotional speeches during the floor debate, citing their own childhood experiences.
If [Governor Jerry] Brown signs the bill into law, California would become the first state in the nation to outlaw such therapy for minors.
Republican opponents of the measure said politicians should not step in and regulate what they consider to be a matter for medical boards to decide. They also said the bill encroaches on the rights of parents to make choices for their children.
"That's why parents have children -- to hand down their legacies, their belief systems, the way they want their children raised," Assembly member Shannon Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, said during the floor debate.
Using Grove's theory, I guess it's also fine for parents to teach their children to be racists and anti-Semites too. Having a child does not give one the right to submit that child to harmful beliefs and/or treatments
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