State of California Law Barring Parents From

[CSORuger]

California Law Barring Parents From 'Curing' Gay Children Moves Through Legislature

A first-of-its-kind state law that would restrict parents from trying to "cure" their minor children's same-sex attractions seems headed to the governor's desk.

If both state houses can agree on the final language, the legislation, which would ban all sexual orientation change effort (SOCE) treatment for minors, will be sent to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature sometime in September. But, so far, there has been no indication from his office on whether he will sign the bill into law.

Whatever the governor does, he's sure to face criticism. Backers see it as a civil rights issue, while critics say lawmakers are infringing on not only parents' rights but also on the mission of mental health professionals.

"[The law] unconstitutionally prohibits speech…violates privacy and personal autonomy rights, intermeddles in theological disputes, clashes with other laws and creates significant unintended consequences," Matt McReynolds,, a staff attorney with Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute, said.

"As long as this bill threatens to shame patients and silence counselors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, we will vigorously oppose it," McReynolds told Fox News.

"We cannot afford to let the state invade the counseling room or doctor's office to dictate what views on sexuality are acceptable and unacceptable."

 

[88GT]

This should be interesting. I think some INGO members are going to have some internal conflict with this one.

 

[IndyDave1776]

This should be interesting. I think some INGO members are going to have some internal conflict with this one.

I would consider it a very safe bet that you're right!

 

[Birds Away]

While I am certain this issue exists in some homes, I am equally certain that it can't be legislated away. Unfortunately, our leftist friends don't realize that passing laws has little effect on human nature.

 

[littletommy]

Well, if nothing else, apparently California has solved all of it's other problems if this sort of bull **** is how the legislature spends its time. Good for you California! I feel the world is a better place now.

 

[hacksawfg]

Well, if nothing else, apparently California has solved all of it's other problems if this sort of bull **** is how the legislature spends its time. Good for you California! I feel the world is a better place now.

Agreed, the state is bankrupt, people are leaving, and THIS is how they spend their time? You know despite all the talk about the economy right now, at some point in time this same ridiculous sort of thing will be debated at the federal level, of course it will be everybody's tax dollars paying for that sort of totally unnecessary discussion.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Well, if nothing else, apparently California has solved all of it's other problems if this sort of bull **** is how the legislature spends its time. Good for you California! I feel the world is a better place now.

Agreed, the state is bankrupt, people are leaving, and THIS is how they spend their time? You know despite all the talk about the economy right now, at some point in time this same ridiculous sort of thing will be debated at the federal level, of course it will be everybody's tax dollars paying for that sort of totally unnecessary discussion.

I would say that the fundamental problem is that the state is controlled by zealots whose agenda has little to do with the practical issues of the workable administration of a state and everything to do with controlling people based on notions that have little to do with anything other than their own twisted ideas of how the world should be regardless of the will of those upon whom their will is being imposed. The concept of a republic, as opposed to a democracy, was chosen as our mode of government in order to prevent this very type of thing from happening, yet here it is.

 

[rambone]

This law is an infringement on parental rights and free speech. For better or worse, children are the products of their parents, and its none of the government's business to say otherwise.

 

[45calibre]

someone who is a homosexual is not "sick and can not be "cured"

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

I agree with Rambone - parents must have rights (and corresponding responsibility) for teaching their children through the age of majority. If not so - then who IS responsible? the State?? Heaven Forbid.... Bottom line - parents have the right to be less than perfect parents. And not everyone will agree with how kids should be taught.

It takes a high crime indeed (abuse,molestation, and worse) to rise to the level where the State should supercede a parent's right to teach and raise their child. And that is EXACTLY what is being discussed here. Even if one disagrees all to heck with the what is being taught.

 

[Expat]

I remember reading a year or two ago that some scientists believe that most homosexuality may, in the near future, be able to be prevented. The article also said that liberal groups were trying to see that such research was defunded. It had something to do with some hormonal aberrations in the womb. If true, and that would come to pass, all this fighting and bickering would have been pointless.

 

[hornadylnl]

I remember reading a year or two ago that some scientists believe that most homosexuality may, in the near future, be able to be prevented. The article also said that liberal groups were trying to see that such research was defunded. It had something to do with some hormonal aberrations in the womb. If true, and that would come to pass, all this fighting and bickering would have been pointless.

I thought it was a choice.

 

[CathyInBlue]

Yes. All parents should have the right to inflict any treatment on their minor children for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limitted to:

Religious practice, including teachings on parentally enforced arranged marriages
Economics, including exercising the doctrine of "He who shall not work, neither shall he eat" for children of farm families who decide not to go into the family business, but instead demand an education that will allow them to move off the farm and practice a profession of their choosing.
Sexuality, including keeping adolescent daughters locked within the house from first menses in order to "protect the family honor"
And speaking of honor, outright killing them if they do so much as look at a boy when and if they are let out of the house.

 

[Lex Concord]

I thought it was a choice.

For some it is.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Yes. All parents should have the right to inflict any treatment on their minor children for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limitted to:

Religious practice, including teachings on parentally enforced arranged marriages
Economics, including exercising the doctrine of "He who shall not work, neither shall he eat" for children of farm families who decide not to go into the family business, but instead demand an education that will allow them to move off the farm and practice a profession of their choosing.
Sexuality, including keeping adolescent daughters locked within the house from first menses in order to "protect the family honor"
And speaking of honor, outright killing them if they do so much as look at a boy when and if they are let out of the house.

The problem here is the question of allowing for the likelihood that some bad parents will do some bad/damaging things, or the alternative of allowing the state to do bad/damaging things to everyone's children.

 

[CathyInBlue]

Except that, unlike the daily operations of Child Protective Services, we're not talking about the state acting in contravention of the family's wishes. We're talking about the state preventing the parents from acting in contravention of societal norms and scientific/medical truths.

 

[hornadylnl]

For some it is.

Agreed. But some argue it's a choice for all of them.

 

[level.eleven]

The bill concerns licensing of psychotherapists. Parents can still shame their child at a church of their choice or send them to a pray away the gay camp.

Box Turtle Bulletin » Three Things You Should Consider About CA’s Proposed Ex-Gay Therapy Curbs

Actual legislation.

Bill Text - SB-1172 Sexual orientation change efforts.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

Cathy -

I don't recall saying ANYTHING about "honor killings" and some of the other stuff you mentioned. I said that the State had better have a VERY DANG GOOD reason to step in between a parent and their child. What happens if the State decides that me raising my children in my faith (or lack of one for that matter) - well, that's against "societal norms".
Guess we'd better take your kids away...

This exact sort of thing has happened many times in many places in the past. Going down that statist road can be a very slippery slope. Hence I restate my opinion:

If the State feels the need (as in CPS) to enact laws or exert its force and mandate how a parent deals with their children - it must meet a very high bar. Like a clear and present danger to the child. Unfortunately there is plenty of room for abuse on both sides of the issue.

 

[CathyInBlue]

Everything I mentioned has its foundations in religious tenets or one stripe or another. They were all societal norms of their times, and in some, more backwards, places of the world, they still are. They all run afoul of present societal norms. This is directly analogous to the case at hand of parents of children who are developing homosexual sexual orientations and who have objections to that fact, generally based on religious tenets, or prejudices which are themselves based on religious tenets.

Reparative Therapy, which is what psychological professionals of all stripes use to refer to the various techniques various organizations use to brainwash real homosexual people into believing themselves to be heterosexual, has been widely denounced as tantamount to torture and professional malpractice in all medical circles. The only places it holds any credibility whatsoever are in religious organizations whose operations are rooted in those religious tenets they feel would be threatened by wider social acceptance of the civil equality of homosexual people.

Preventing parents from inflicting reparative therapy on their children is no different from preventing treatments based on phrenology, ozone therapy, or electro-shock to treat homosexuality.