Therapies that are meant to turn young gay people straight could soon be banned in Nevada. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss reports.
Democratic Senator David Parks is sponsoring a bill that would outlaw psychotherapists and social workers from providing what's called "sexual conversion therapy" to patients under 18. He says the practice is unethical and unscientific. Ron Lawrence, a marriage and family therapist in Las Vegas, agrees.
"There have been several mental health professionals in our community that are licensed that have, indeed, perpetrated this on young people and it's mostly because of their religious beliefs, but those issues should not come into psychotherapy at all."
Lawrence says the symptoms a patient experiences after this kind of therapy are similar to those of post traumatic stress disorder. No legislative action has been taken on this measure.
