Gov't party, doctors demand investigation into therapy that "cures" gayness

Coalition party D66 and the Dutch association of pediatricians AJN are pleading for the government to conduct a thorough investigation into treatments that claim to "cure" young people from being gay. If these therapies are indeed as harmful as expected, they must be banned, D66 parliamentarian Vera Bergkamp said to EenVandaag.

"Young people must be able to be completely themselves. These therapies are at odds with this", Bergkamp said. She believes that these "treatments" can push young people struggling with their sexual orientation and faith over the edge.  

The government must therefore do an "in-depth" investigation into these treatments, according to the parliamentarian. It is currently not even known how many such therapies and treatments are offered in the Netherlands, and what they entail. People, and especially minors, must be protected against such controversial practices, Bergkamp said.

Doctors working with kids and young people are also very concerned about these "cures". Such treatments can have very harmful effects, they said. "The treatments suggest that someone is ill", Jeanne-Marie Hament of AJN said to EenVandaag. "This is not only discriminatory, but can also lead to extreme loneliness and sadness among young people who struggle with their orientation. This is a form of quackery that should be legally forbidden."