Out in the World: New Zealand, Israeli health ministry move to ban conversion therapy
Israel and New Zealand are the latest countries to take significant steps toward banning conversion therapy for minors and adults.
Conversion therapy is the widely discredited practice of attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The practice has been debunked by the United Nations; World Health Organization; more than 60 counselors', psychologists', and medical associations globally; and human rights and LGBTQ rights organizations. New ZealandNew Zealand's bill banning conversion therapy for minors and adults passed its third parliamentary reading 112-8 February 14. "This is a great day for New Zealand's rainbow communities," Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi told Reuters.
Anyone practicing conversion therapy on an individual under the age of 18, or a person with impaired decision-making capacity, could receive up to three years' imprisonment if convicted.
