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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 16 May 2018

Maryland bans 'gay conversion therapy' for minors

By BRIAN WITTE for five years between the
Associated Press ages of 16 and 21, said the
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — new law marks another
Maryland Gov. Larry Ho- step toward ending the
gan signed a bill into law practice.
on Tuesday to prohibit "We know 700,000 people
health professionals from in the United States have
practicing "gay conversion been through conversion
therapy" on minors, as a therapy, and 78,000 teen-
growing number of states agers will go through it in
and municipalities are ban- the next five years, and this
ning it. is getting us closer to zero,"
Maryland is the 11th state Shurka said.
to enact legislation against California, Connecticut,
the practice of trying to al- Illinois, Nevada, New Jer-
ter a person's sexual orien- sey, New Mexico, Oregon,
tation through psychologi- Rhode Island, Vermont and
cal intervention. Supporters Washington also have laws
of the ban note the thera- on the books, as well as the
py is widely discredited by District of Columbia. New
medical and mental health Maryland Del. Meagan Simonaire poses in the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Md., on Tues- Hampshire and Hawaii re-
associations. The law will day, May 15, 2018, after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed legislation to ban "gay conversion cently passed similar mea-
classify the practice as un- therapy" for minors. sures that have gone to the
professional conduct. Associated Press governor in those states.q
Supporters say the mea-
sure will help protect youths "For LGBT youth, it is an all- thought that her parents
from depression, anxiety too prevalent situation, believed they could "fix
and potential suicide by and it's a significant move her" was enough to cause
preventing them from be- forward to say: 'You know deep depression.
ing forced into such treat- what, be who you are,'" he Simonaire said she was ex-
ment. said. cited to see the governor,
"I think it's fantastic, be- Del. Meagan Simonaire, a a fellow Republican, sign
cause it will save the lives of Republican, spoke on the the bill. Massages Body treatments
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young people in our state," House floor about the pain "I'm so proud of everyone's s sssssss massage s es Treatment
said Sen. Richard Madale- she experienced when her hard work," Simonaire said. s eesssese massage s es s ss s sss ss sss se s
no, a Democrat who spon- parents recommended the "It's been a long time com- s s s massage sess Treatment
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sored the bill. therapy to her when she ing." s s ssesss massage sees Treatment
Madaleno noted that sui- told them she was bisexu- Mathew Shurka, an activist s ss s sssss sees
cide is the second-leading al. She told her colleagues who has campaigned for Treatment
cause of death for young last month that while she the measure and experi- Facials Packages
people. never had the therapy, the enced conversion therapy s s ss sss facial s ss s sssss sss sees
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