A cure that doesn't work for a disease that doesn't exist.

Why yes, yes it is different. Because you're asking kids to not eat pork or drive a car, not deny an inherent part of their humanity. What a great question though.

@2 I firmly reject the notion that an adult's right to hold whatever religious belief extends special protection to acts that harm their children. We could argue until midnight if religious indoctrination constitutes harm but we should agree right away that obviously harmful behaviors should not be permitted. Ex gay conversion falls under that category.

Actually, Ken, 2/3rd of the Amish sects allow their teens to buy and use cars. They believe that teens need to 'sow their wild oats' for a bit before having a family. And I know lots of Jews who eat pork, and most of them call themselves 'Conservedox' [on the norder bretwwen Consertatism and Orthodox]. You are thinking of Hassidic Jews who hold tightly to all the laws of the Torah, including not wearing mixed fibers and doing no labor between Friday sunst and Saturday sunset.

But goodjobguy is correct - if a religion sect said it was a sin to have blue-eyes and the parents had a blue-eyed girl baby, would they have a right to blind her? The same with homosexuality.

What's to prevent, for example, a right-wing state from enacting a law that prohibits therapy on cult members such as getting loved ones away from a David Koresh?
Given the rise rate of gay acceptance, ex-gay therapy is one of those psychiatric offshoots that will dissipate, but still will never go away entirely. While that's unfortunate of course, this is one of those cases where laws, especially tax payer funded panels, are more of a waste of money rather than just letting things take their natural course.
With people paying for psychotherapy plunging anyway, this is not a need for government intrusion.

The pseudoscientific mental health field needs *something*, and until then, maybe legislation is the way to go.

The American Psychiatric Association delisted homosexuality as a disease on December 15, 1973. That's 39.8 years ago, not half a century ago.
http://tinyurl.com/a9738rr
http://tinyurl.com/b2obxcv

The American Psychological Association and the World Health organization followed in 1975 and 1990.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuali…

Spitzer has apologized for his unproven claims, but the APA never has apologized for calling gay people mentally ill. (Irony: Spitzer helped to delist homosexuality as a disease in 1973.)

Ken, Phoebe, stop bringing in 'what ifs' and attempting the 'slippery slope' arguments. If you're going to do that, why not argue in favor of female genital mutilation?

We're not talking about Amish or Muslim or crazy Christian cults. We're talking specifically about a therapy that has no benefit whatsoever and causes great harm. The fact that it's used by emotionally stunted religious nutcases has no bearing on the argument. Period. End of story.

If you think people should be "free" to practice this specific type of emotional torture, then fuck you. Fuck you because you're a shitty human being. OK? That's it. Stop your quibbling & hand-wringing and grow the fuck up.

@8 - THIS.

Thank you Rep. Liias for introducing this important Bill!

@2: So when Christian Scientists treat their cancer-stricken children with prayer circles and refuse to allow them medical care, you support their right to practice their religion? When Hmong patients deteriorate because surgical incisions are taboo to them?
If people want to cleave to their beliefs at the expense of their health, they're welcome to do so as long as they don't harm others and are duly educated on the danger of their actions. People considering gay conversion therapy should decide for themselves, and should be given the rundown on the risks and benefits (if any) of such a program.