It’s not really up for debate that conversion therapy needs to be banned; mountains of research plainly demonstrate this. Rep. Karianne Lisonbee’s substitute bill would have continued to allow my younger adolescent self to be legally subjected to a form of conversion therapy that drove me to attempt suicide. Her bill would not have protected me from bad actors in the mental health system. Her bill would not have saved my life or the lives of others. Her bill's language was poor, deeply deficient, ineffectual and — by her own admission — unnecessary. That’s not a compromise. That's not helping. That's not leadership. That's not protecting kids. That's not good enough for me as a survivor of conversion therapy. That's not good enough for Utah. That’s not pro-life.
Andrew Stelter, Salt Lake City
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