Governor Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. The order, which would make the discredited practice illegal in the state, was signed into law on September 18. The ban specifically prohibits the use of state and federal funds for the practice of conversion therapy on minors. Dr. Sheila Schuster of The Kentucky Mental Health Coalition said the coalition has been fighting for this outcome for some time.
“The coalition has put a top priority on the legislation to ban conversion therapy, educating legislators and the public, and advocating for its passage. We take that strong position because of the harm the conversion, quote “therapy” - it’s not therapy, it’s conversion torture; that's what senator Alice Forgy Kerr called it - what it does to victimize our youth,” said Dr. Schuster.
Officials said conversion therapy has no basis in science and can lead to increased anxiety and depression as well as lower self-esteem, which can result in suicidal behavior. Children undergoing the treatment were reported to be twice as likely to harm themselves and attempt suicide.
Chris Hartman, Executive Director of the Fairness Campaign, said the ban will save lives.
“It’s critical that Kentucky join the 23 other states and Washington DC that have banned this deadly practice because 21 percent of Kentucky’s LGBTQ youth have been threatened with, or subjected to, conversion therapy, according to the Trevor Project’s national survey on LGBTQ mental health,” said Hartman.
Conversion therapy has been discredited by associations such as the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, and the American Psychiatric Association.