Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, put a halt to conversion therapy for minors by signing legislation banning the controversial practice in his state on Monday.
Joining a group of more than a dozen other states, Delaware’s new law will make the therapy a grounds for legal consequences for medical professionals. Though the bill passed the state’s house last May, it did not pass the upper chamber until June of this year.
One of the bill’s sponsors, state Rep. Debra Heffernan, reportedly called the practice a “pseudoscience” and “child endangerment” with a tendency to push LGBTQ minors towards self-harm.
“This bill sends an important message that a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity is neither capable of being changed nor does it need to be changed, and efforts to try to do so in the name of therapy have no place in our state,” said Equality Delaware board member Mark Purpura in a press release.
Lisa Goodman, president of Equality Delaware, said she “wasn’t aware” of any ongoing practice of the therapy in the state, adding that some minors have been referred to out of state locations for the treatment, according to the Delaware Republic.
Governors on both sides of the aisle have signed similar laws into effect. Republican Govs. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire signed legislation banning the therapy in their states in recent months — as well as Democratic Gov. David Ige of Hawaii.
