Colorado Republicans kill bill that would ban 'conversion therapy' for LGBT minors
A Colorado bill that would have outlawed the use of "conversion therapy" on LGBT minors was killed by three Republican Senators late Wednesday, The Denver Post's Joey Bunch reports.
<p>The ban on the unscientific and controversial therapy -- which seeks to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of a patient -- was shot down by Republican Senators Ray Scott, Jerry Sonnenberg, and Owen Hill. </p><p>Senator Hill sent a letter to supporters claiming that his opposition to the bill was simply an extension of his belief that that "the heavy hand of government [should not] take away the dignity of choice in cases where individuals want this therapy."</p><p>The bill, however, specifically made the age of the individual undergoing therapy a key provision, stating that it "prohibits a licensed physician specializing in psychiatry and a licensed or registered mental health care provider from engaging in conversion therapy with a patient under 18 years of age." </p><p>Senate Democrats blasted the committee's decision, sending out a press release in which it noted that "[e]very mainstream mental health group in the state, including the Colorado Psychological Association, Mental Health America- Colorado, and the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado supported HB 15-1175. Other supporters included the American College of Pediatrics- Colorado Chapter, Colorado Children’s Hospital, and One Colorado."</p><p>President Barack Obama is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/us/politics/obama-to-call-for-end-to-conversion-therapies-for-gay-and-transgender-youth.html" target="_blank">reportedly</a> calling for a nationwide ban on the therapy next week. The White House's <a href="https://zoxannedev.wpengine.com/rs/2015/04/white-house-responds-to-leelah-alcorn-petition-by-calling-for-end-to-anti-lgbt-conversion-therapy/" target="_blank">statement</a> specifically mentioned the death of Leelah Alcorn, the 17-year-old transgender teen whose suicide note alerted many to the dangers of conversion therapy.</p>
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