A U.S. Senator from New Jersey last week proposed an amendment to a federal spending bill that would have restricted federal funds for programs that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
On March 26, Sen. Cory Booker offered an amendment to a federal spending bill that would restrict Medicaid or Medicare payments for so-called conversion therapy. The amendment, one of more than 600 to the legislation, did not move forward.
In a statement provided to PGN, Booker said federal money should not be used for a practice that has been deemed dangerous by many leading health associations.
“Conversion therapy is the abject denial and rejection of another human being. This discredited practice has been rejected for years by countless medical and mental-health organizations and has no place in our society,” said Sen. Booker. “All people, regardless of their sexual orientation, deserve to be treated with compassion and respect. That’s why my amendment would prevent the use of federal dollars to support this harmful and traumatic practice.”
In 2013, New Jersey became the second state in the nation, after California, to ban conversion therapy for minors. The legislation was signed into law by Republican Gov. Chris Christie. The law later survived constitutional challenges.
In an ongoing challenge by the Southern Poverty Law Center against an agency that marketed itself as providing conversion therapy, a New Jersey Superior Court judge in February found that conversion therapy is fraudulent, as homosexuality is not a changeable disorder. It was the first time a court came to such conclusions.