Utah Senate Votes to Ban Heath Care Providers from Practicing Conversion Therapy

The Utah Senate on Friday unanimously approved legislation to ban certain health care providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors, moving the legislature closer to codifying rules set by the state government in 2020.

Under the bill, introduced in January by Republican state Rep. Michael J. Petersen, licensed health care providers that engage in conversion therapy — a discredited practice aiming to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity — with a minor may be charged with unprofessional conduct, punishable in Utah by up to a year in jail and a maximum $2,500 fine.

However, the measure does not apply to an individual who is “both a health care professional and a religious advisor” when that person is “acting substantially in the capacity of a religious advisor and not in the capacity of a health care professional.”

Read the source article at thehill.com