Resolved: Parents ought be banned from forcing minors into ex-gay therapy or conversion practices.

ex-gay therapy (n. ): a type of sexual orientation change effort that attempts to change the sexual orientation of a person from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual. I establish the following observations for this debate:ObservationsObservation 1: The scenario being evaluated for the qualification of banning is the following: a parent wants to place their child (a minor) into any sort of therapy or practice that attempts to change their sexual orientation through means of coercion. Observation 2: Based on the definition of ought in the resolution, the evaluation in this debate on the ban is a moral one. With the establishment of morality as the lens at which this debate will be evaluated, I establish my lens for which I am looking at morality: consequentialism, harm principle, and justice. With my parameters established, I move on to the iteration of my points:Contention 1: Ex-gay therapy is inadequate and immoralThe practice of ex-gay therapy is completely contradictory to the general intent of the practice of psychology, causes negative effects to the individual in the long run, and perpetuates a general ideology that causes harm to the members of the LGBT community. For these reasons, ex-gay therapy is inadequate and immoral for society in general, let alone children. Sub-point 1a: Ex-gay therapy is inherently immoral. Because the general idea of ex-gay therapy inherently condemns homosexuality in general and aligns itself with a mindset prejudiced against this group of people, ex-gay therapy is inherently immoral in reason. The Pan-American Health Organization commented: "Health professionals who offer “reparative therapies” align themselves with social prejudices and reflect a stark ignorance in matters of sexuality and sexual health. Contrary to what many people believe or assume, there is no reason — with the exception of the stigma resulting from those very prejudices — why homosexual persons should be unable to enjoy a full and satisfying life. The task of health professionals is to not cause harm and to offer support to patients to alleviate their complaints and problems, not to make these more severe. A therapist who classifies non-heterosexual patients as “deviant” not only offends them but also contributes to the aggravation of their problems. "Sub-point 1b: Ex-gay therapy causes harm in the long run. The practice at which ex-gay therapy is done and its effects further invalidate ex-gay therapy as anything moral. The APA reports:"The APA's Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation reached its conclusion based on a lengthy (137-page) review of over 80 studies conducted from 1960 to 2007. They found an overall abysmal state of research, with "serious methodological problems" in most of the studies. The reputable studies, they found, overwhelmingly show that long-term change in a person's sexual orientation is "uncommon. " Those who underwent such therapies frequently reported subsequent difficulties, including loss of sexual feeling, suicidality, depression and anxiety. As a result of these findings, the group passed a resolution warning its over 150,000 members not to advise clients to attempt to use therapy to change their sexual orientation. .. Contrary to claims of sexual orientation change advocates and practitioners, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation," said Judith M. Glassgold, chairwoman of the task force that presented the report at the group's annual meeting in Toronto, Canada. "At most, certain studies suggested that some individuals learned how to ignore or not act on their homosexual attractions. Yet, these studies did not indicate for whom this was possible, how long it lasted or its long-term mental health effects. Also, this result was much less likely to be true for people who started out only attracted to people of the same sex. " The inefficiency of this practice further contributes to the idea that this practice is impractical and immoral with consideration that it receives money in order to do a practice that is potentially harmful and generally dysfunctional. Sub-point 1c: "Negative attitudes about homosexuality can lead to rejection by friends and family, discriminatory acts and violence that harm specific individuals, and laws and policies that adversely affect the lives of many people; this can have damaging effects on the health of MSM and other sexual minorities. Homophobia, stigma and discrimination can: Limit MSM's ability to access high quality health care that is responsive to health issues of MSM Affect income, employment status, and the ability to get and keep health insurance Contribute to poor mental health and unhealthy behaviors, such as substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, and suicide attempts Affect MSM's ability to establish and maintain long-term same-sex relationships that reduce HIV & STD risk Make it difficult for some MSM to be open about same-sex behaviors with others, which can increase stress, limit social support, and negatively affect health The effects of homophobia, stigma and discrimination can be especially hard on adolescents and young adults. Young MSM and other sexual minorities are at increased risk of being bullied in school. They are also at risk of being rejected by their families and, as a result, are at increased risk of homelessness. A study published in 2009 compared gay, lesbian, and bisexual young adults who experienced strong rejection from their families with their peers who had more supportive families. The researchers found that those who experienced stronger rejection were: 8.4 times momore likely to report high levels of depression 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs 3.4 times more likely to have risky sex 4.0 times more likely to commit suicide Contention 2: Coercion to enter ex-gay therapy is a violation of rights. When looking from the scope of human rights, we can see that ex-gay therapy is a complete violation to the inherent rights of the minor not only for the reason of being exposed to potential harm by the parent, but also for the reason of the fact that the minor in question is being coerced against his will. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specifically iterates the human rights of people and provides a universal and ubiquitous template for human rights, states in Article 20 that humans have the right not be forced into associations along with Article 3 describing the human right to life and the security of the person.