George Costanza
A Friendly Liberal
"Sexual orientation conversion therapy" is exactly what it sounds like - therapy designed to modify a person's sexual orientation. California has a law banning it in the case of minors. Recently, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against the ban, opening the way for concerned parents to take their children to "sexual orientation therapists" if they feel the child may be heading toward the other side of the sexual fence.
Judge blocks ban on gay 'conversion' therapy - latimes.com
Some really interesting issues come out of all this, the most obvious being that the very concept of sexual orientation conversion therapy is based on the assumption that sexual orientation is a choice and can be reversed if the "wrong" choice has been made or the individual is headed in the wrong direction. This assumption is controversial, of course. Most scientific studies on the subject have established that sexual orientation is not a matter of choice but rather of genetics. Many disagree with these studies, holding that sexual orientation is a matter of choice.
In any event - even if sexual orientation is a matter of genetics and not choice, does that mean it cannot be reversed? Studies have shown that while obesity is more probably caused by heredity than enviornment, it can still be reversed by dieting and proper eating habits.
Setting those issues aside, what about the propriety of parents forcing their children to go through sexual orientation conversion therapy when, perhaps, the child might not want to do so? Doesn't a parent have the right to raise their child the way they see fit? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It depends. Few would argue that parents who were attempting to train their child to be a serial killer were acting properly while few would argue against parents attempting to teach their child to appreciate organized religion or to be a good athelete.
How do you feel about "sexual oreintation conversion therapy"? (To be honest, I didn't even know it existed until reading the above article.)
Judge blocks ban on gay 'conversion' therapy - latimes.com
Some really interesting issues come out of all this, the most obvious being that the very concept of sexual orientation conversion therapy is based on the assumption that sexual orientation is a choice and can be reversed if the "wrong" choice has been made or the individual is headed in the wrong direction. This assumption is controversial, of course. Most scientific studies on the subject have established that sexual orientation is not a matter of choice but rather of genetics. Many disagree with these studies, holding that sexual orientation is a matter of choice.
In any event - even if sexual orientation is a matter of genetics and not choice, does that mean it cannot be reversed? Studies have shown that while obesity is more probably caused by heredity than enviornment, it can still be reversed by dieting and proper eating habits.
Setting those issues aside, what about the propriety of parents forcing their children to go through sexual orientation conversion therapy when, perhaps, the child might not want to do so? Doesn't a parent have the right to raise their child the way they see fit? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It depends. Few would argue that parents who were attempting to train their child to be a serial killer were acting properly while few would argue against parents attempting to teach their child to appreciate organized religion or to be a good athelete.
How do you feel about "sexual oreintation conversion therapy"? (To be honest, I didn't even know it existed until reading the above article.)
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