New Hampshire, Maryland Conversion Therapy Bans Become Law

ACA Supports the New Laws
The governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, and the governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, recently signed into law measures that would ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors.

The bills would impose fines or license suspension or revocation on mental health professionals who engage in the discredited practice. They become the 12^th and 13^th states to ban conversion therapy on minors, along with the District of Columbia.

The American Counseling Association (ACA) takes the position that conversion therapy does not work, can cause harm, and attempts to "convert" sexual orientation, which is not recognized by the medical community as a disorder. It is a violation of the ACA code of ethics. 

ACA followed the progress of the New Hampshire and Maryland bills, and encouraged its members to ask their representatives in Concord and Annapolis to support a conversion therapy ban. ACA members sent 347 messages in support of this legislation to their representatives through ACA’s VoterVoice grassroots advocacy system.

“I congratulate the New Hampshire and Maryland legislatures for this important step,” ACA Chief Executive Officer Richard Yep said. “By signing this legislation, Governor Sununu and Governor Hogan will prevent one of our most vulnerable populations—children and youth-- from being subjected to a very painful and damaging experience.”

“When all the facts are taken into consideration, we are left with the reality that efforts to change sexual orientation from homosexuality to heterosexuality do not work, have the potential to do great harm, and are aimed at treating a mental health problem that does not exist. The mental health community has spoken in a clear voice that this practice should not be condoned,” Yep said.

The Background for ACA Support

The American Counseling Association (ACA) takes the position that conversion therapy does not work, can cause harm, and attempts to "convert" sexual orientation, which is not recognized by the medical community as a disorder. Conversion therapy is a violation of the ACA Code of Ethics as codified by the ACA Governing Council’s December, 2017 Resolution.  The ACA Code of Ethics is available online here

The American Psychological Association (APA) study, “Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation” provides evidence that conversion therapy is both ineffective and harmful. For this study, the APA conducted a systematic review of the available research on sexual orientation change efforts—83 studies in all.

The APA concluded in its report that: "efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm." The report documented that up to 50 percent of the participants in conversion therapy practices reported harmful effects from the attempt to change their sexual orientation. The 140-page APA study is available online in its entirety here