Seventeen states have considered laws that would prohibit conversion therapy. California, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont and Washington D.C. have passed such laws. Iowa should be on this list, along with every other state in the country.
Forcing people into convention therapy at a young age puts them at a greater risk of living a more dangerous. It is proven that conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.
Several Christian organizations have spoken about there opinion on the conversion therapy ban. “Many people hold different views, and when we as a board or we as a state seek to step in and limit a very large section of the population that holds a certain view of sexual ethics, I think that’s dangerous and it’s wrong,” said Nathan Oppman, a spokesman for The Family Leader, a Des Moines based group that opposes gay marriage and other gay rights.
I believe everyone should have the right to be who they are without the fear of being mentally and physically tortured. Putting a ban on conversion therapy would make our state, and every other state, a better place to live in.
