Pennsylvania Code › Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS › Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS › Chapter 25 - STATE BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE › Subchapter D - MINIMUM STANDARDS OF PRACTICE › Section 25.218 - Conversion therapy, sexual orientation change efforts and reparative therapy-statement of policy

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
Background.
Conversion therapy, also known as sexual
					 orientation change efforts or reparative therapy, poses critical health risks
					 to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual
					 individuals, including suicidality, substance abuse, confusion, depression,
					 guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, shame, social withdrawal, stress,
					 disappointment, self-blame, decreased self-esteem and authenticity to others,
					 increased self-hatred, hostility and blame toward parents, feelings of anger
					 and betrayal, loss of friends and potential romantic partners, problems with
					 sexual and emotional intimacy, sexual dysfunction, high-risk sexual behaviors,
					 a feeling of being dehumanized and untrue to self, a loss of faith and a sense
					 of having wasted time and resources. The American Medical Association opposes
					 the use of conversion therapy for sexual orientation or gender identity. Due to
					 the lack of scientific evidence supporting conversion therapy and the risk of
					 harm to minors, the practice of conversion therapy is strongly opposed by the
					 American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of
					 Pediatrics, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, American
					 College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric
					 Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, American Psychological
					 Association, National Association of Social Workers, Pan American Health
					 Organization, and the World Psychiatric Association.
(b)
Board authority.
The
					 Board has statutory authority to license, regulate and discipline
					 Board-regulated practitioners in this Commonwealth. Under section 15 of the act
					 (63
					 P.S. §
												271.15), the Board is authorized
					 to refuse, revoke or suspend the license of a Board-regulated practitioner who
					 is guilty of immoral or unprofessional conduct.
(c)
Guidelines.
The
					 following conversion therapy guidelines should be considered by Board-regulated
					 practitioners to ensure compliance with the act and the Board's regulations.
(1) Being lesbian, gay, bisexual,
					 transgender, queer/ questioning, intersex or asexual is not a disease,
					 disorder, illness, deficiency or shortcoming.
(2) Conversion therapy includes the following
					 conduct:
(i) A practice or treatment that
					 seeks to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender
					 identity.
(ii) An effort to change
					 the behavioral expression of an individual's sexual orientation, change gender
					 expression, or eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings
					 toward individuals of the same gender.
(3) Conversion therapy does not include a
					 practice or treatment that provides counseling for an individual undergoing
					 gender transition, counseling that provides acceptance, support and
					 understanding, or the facilitation of coping, social support and identity
					 exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions
					 to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Conversion
					 therapy does not include a practice that does not seek to change sexual
					 orientation or gender identity.
(4)
					 In a disciplinary action brought against a Board-regulated practitioner, the
					 Board may find the use of conversion therapy on an individual under 18 years of
					 age to be immoral or unprofessional conduct. A Board-regulated practitioner who
					 uses conversion therapy on an individual under 18 years of age may be subject
					 to discipline by the Board.