Obama calls for end to conversion therapy for LGBT youth

[W!nston]

Obama calls for end to conversion therapy for LGBT youth
REUTERS | April 8 2015

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama called on Wednesday for an end to psychiatric therapies that seek to change the sexual orientation of gay, lesbian and transgender youth, the White House said.

The White House statement, written by senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, is in response to a petition calling for Obama to back a law to ban conversion therapy, which is supported by some socially conservative organizations and religious doctors.

The petition was started following the suicide in December of 17-year-old transgender youth Leelah Alcorn, who died after her parents forced her to attend conversion therapy, pulled her out of school and isolated her in an attempt to change her gender identity.

"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," Jarrett said.

"As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors," she said.

The petition said that on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2014, Alcorn wrote a suicide note, posted it on Tumblr and then walked in front of a semi-trailer.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler and Eric Walsh)

SOURCE

 

[gb2000ie]

A step in the right direction. This dangerous quackery needs to be stopped before it kills more kids.

B.

 

[gorgik9]

I regrett that my knowledge of american law is too slight, but as far as my understanding goes, this must mean that it has been and still is acceptable for parents to send their children - against their outspoken will!!!!!!! - to religious torture, because that's what "conversion therapy" is! For fuck' sake! Read Orwell - war is peace, freedom is slavery and - torture is therapy. If the bääääääbäl says so, if daddy says so, if stupid enough fucks says so!

 

[W!nston]

Yes it is perfectly legal. Another 'freedom of religion' issue I suppose. Hell, certain cults masquerading as 'religion' demand parents treat children with prayer rather than getting medical treatment. Children are allowed to die of treatable diseases if the parents claim a religious exemption. And they get away with it. It's barbaric. It's akin to something out of the dark ages. I'm surprised we haven't seen public witch hunts and burnings although I'm sure there are things happening we are not aware of done in the privacy of some basement. Even exorcisms are still performed.

We need to burn these so-called 'religious' monsters at the stake and end all the insanity once and for all...

:rofl:

 

[Bluezh]

bravo

 

[gorgik9]

Yes it is perfectly legal. Another 'freedom of religion' issue I suppose. Hell, certain cults masquerading as 'religion' demand parents treat children with prayer rather than getting medical treatment. Children are allowed to die of treatable diseases if the parents claim a religious exemption. And they get away with it. It's barbaric. It's akin to something out of the dark ages. I'm surprised we haven't seen public witch hunts and burnings although I'm sure there are things happening we are not aware of done in the privacy of some basement. Even exorcisms are still performed.

We need to burn these so-called 'religious' monsters at the stake and end all the insanity once and for all...

:rofl:

I think I'll come at it from another angle (once again, I regret that my knowledge of US law is shallow and slight) : I think that the real source of evil is, that in America children are not considered persons in their own right; they are rather their parents property until the day of majority.

This is so different from the perspective in Swedish Law. Swedish parents do NOT have the right to do whatever; spanking "your own" children is NOT hunky dory, and it has been a legal offence - a crime! - since 1977.

Sweden was much ridiculed in so many other European countries then, but this has mightily changed today.