Letter: Stop the practice of conversion therapy

Conversion therapy is a set of harmful practices with the goal of changing a homosexual person to behave as a heterosexual. The American Psychiatric Association 'opposes any psychiatric treatment such as reparative or conversion therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation.” Conversion therapy has been denounced by numerous professional associations, such as: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pan American Health Organization, The American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American College of Physicians, American Counseling Association and American Medical Association.

The Iowa Board of Medicine is considering a ban on conversion therapy for people under the age of 18 due to the numerous studies and complaints showing harm done by this practice. Why the Iowa Board of Medicine has not followed the precedents of other professional associations across the nation who have come to a consensus on the research is unclear. A similar ban has died in the Iowa Legislature for several years in a row, but a clear stance from the Iowa Board of Medicine could help put pressure on the House to reexamine this critical issue in the next legislative session. This could save hundreds or thousands of young lives from depression, drug use, homelessness and suicide.

Laura Jackson

MSW student

University of Iowa

Iowa City