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Source: The post is based on the article “Coercion as conversion: Sexual orientation and gender identities do not require medical intervention” published in The Hindu on 5th September 2022.
Syllabus: GS 2 – Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Relevance: About conversion therapy.
News: Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) declared conversion therapy a “professional misconduct” and empowered State Medical Councils to take disciplinary action if the guideline is breached. This is a significant and welcome move to remove another layer of discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community.
What is the reason behind NMC banning conversion therapy?
In its landmark 2021 judgment, the Madras High Court issued guidelines for the police, social welfare ministries of the State and Centre, and the medical council for the protection of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Madras High Court had directed NMC to issue an official notification listing conversion therapy as a wrong, under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
What is conversion therapy?
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or of any other orientation are often subjected to conversion or ‘reparative’ therapy, particularly when they are young, to change their sexual orientation or gender identity by force.
The therapy varies from psychiatric treatment, use of psychosomatic drugs, electroshock therapy, exorcism and violence.
Impacts: The therapy can lead to trauma, manifesting in depression, anxiety, drug use, and even suicide.
| Read more: Rainbow of Hope |
Basis of conversion therapy: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry contends that the interventions offered in conversion therapy are provided under the “false premise that homosexuality and gender diverse identities are pathological”.
Why Conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ should be banned?
| Read here: Need to ban the Conversion therapy of the LGBTQIA+ community |
How to improve the life of the LGBTQIA+ community further?
Clear-cut definition: Like Canada, India should be clear on what action will be taken against quacks, psychiatrists and doctors accused of offering reparative treatment and the punishment they will face.
Change the education policy: Medical textbooks prescribed in 2018 still consider lesbianism a “perversion”, an act of “mental degenerates”. This has to be changed.
Legislative changes: Societal change has to be complemented by laws that address the needs of a diverse community higher than the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 has sought to do.
Society has to acknowledge the “variability of human beings” and accord equal respect to everyone, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The issue is not whether we need or don’t need conversion therapy. What we definitely don’t need are empty promises. If sexual preference is predetermined by biological factors then psychological therapy can not be sufficient by definition.
However:
The main argument is: Homosexuality is natural therefore it is good
–> This is a typical naturalistic fallacy. From an is an ought can not be deducted.
For some people it may be good to live a certain sexual orientation because they have accepted it for themselves. Others may struggle with the fact that biological predeterminantes decide whom we are capable to love.
Who else besides me can define whether something is okay for me or if something is not okay for me without regards to whether it is natural or not?
So the question rather should be: How can we achieve greater individual liberty?
So, do we need conversion therpay? – No, definitely not in it’s current state with it’s untenable promises
Should we therefore conclude that any scientific research on the way to support the individual with greater personal liberty and finally reach a point where everyone has the possibility to decide for themselves whom they wanna love, is wrong and needless? – No definitely not as well.