Fiscal Note
Any revenue received as a result of this proposal is anticipated to be minimal. No appropriation is required.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Creating Section 23.60 and renumbering current Section 23.60 to Section 23.70 of the Madison General Ordinances to prohibit the practice of conversion therapy in the City of Madison.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This proposal prohibits the practice of conversion therapy on minors in the City of Madison, where the services are provided for a fee. Conversion therapy is a process by which practitioners attempt to eliminate same sex attraction in an individual.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Section 23.60 entitled “Conversion Therapy Prohibited” of the Madison General Ordinances is created to read as follows:
“23.60 CONVERSION THERAPY PROHIBITED.
(1) Intent and Purpose.
(a) The Common Council of the City of Madison finds that:
1. This ordinance is adopted to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of the City of Madison, especially the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, and to protect them against the exposure to serious harms caused by conversion therapy.
2. It is the well documented, prevailing opinion of the medical and psychological community that conversion therapy has not been shown to be effective and that it creates a potential risk of serious harm to those who experience it.
3. The prevailing opinion of the medical and psychological community is documented in position statements, articles and reports published by the following organizations: the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American School Counselor Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Associatio...
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