BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts lawmakers have sent Gov. Charlie Baker a bill banning LGBTQ conversion therapy, which critics decry as a harmful and medically-discredited attempt to change a person’s sexual identity.
The measure passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins in votes last week and received final enactment in both chambers on Thursday.
Baker, a Republican, has said he is leaning toward signing the bill.
The conservative Massachusetts Family Institute has threatened to challenge the conversion therapy ban in court if it becomes law.
The Legislature on Thursday also sent Baker a bill that abolishes a state welfare rule that has denied benefits to children born into families which are already receiving welfare.
Baker vetoed a similar measure last year, arguing it should be tied to other changes in welfare eligibility rules.
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