LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska state lawmaker who introduced a bill to classify conversion therapy as child abuse says she will withdraw the measure amid concerns that it could punish parents who are misled.
Sen. Megan Hunt, of Omaha, made the announcement shortly before a legislative hearing Thursday on the proposal.
Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice that attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Hunt says she decided to withdraw it after hearing from survivors that parents are often misled into placing their children in faith-based counseling without knowing that it includes conversion therapy.
Hunt, the state’s first openly bisexual senator, says she will continue to pursue a bill that would prohibit licensed medical professionals from performing conversion therapy.
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