91ε

91ε Advocacy Efforts Help Pass ?Conversion Therapy? Ban in Oregon

May 8, 2015

91ε has been advocating for the passage of HB 2307 for the past several months. In February, 91ε CEO Richard Yep submitted for the House Health Care Committee, and at the end of April, 91ε Past President and Professor Emeritus Dr. Brooke Collison testified in person before the Senate Health Care Committee and submitted as well. The success on this legislative matter would not have been possible without 91ε’s members in Oregon, who reached out to their representatives in the Oregon legislature and encouraged them to vote for this very important bill.

91ε has been active in advocating for bans on “conversion therapy” around the country. The use of “conversion therapy” is known to have devastating consequences on those who are subjected to it, and its practice is in violation of 91ε’s Code of Ethics. By definition, “conversion therapy” is not a form of therapy at all, since sexual orientation is not a qualification for a mental defect.

Similar bills are still being deliberated in various other state legislatures, including New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Iowa. 91ε will continue to support these efforts and we hope that other states will soon follow the path of California, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and now, Oregon.