Protecting the Most Vulnerable Among Us.

Federal Criminal Prosecution of Conversion Therapy Given the limited reach and penalties of existing conversion therapy laws, the criminal prosecution of conversion therapy providers can aid in further protecting youth across the country. As explained below, while existing criminal fraud statutes may be utilized to curb conversion therapy efforts among for-profit providers, ultimately, to attack and deter the majority of existing conversion therapy services, a federal statute criminalizing the conduct is necessary. In addition to the mail and wire fraud statutes, law enforcement could use the federal health care fraud statute to prosecute and impose criminal penalties on licensed mental health professionals that bill insurers for conversion therapy services, al least in states with conversion therapy bans. Enacting a Federal Law Criminalizing Conversion Therapy The vast majority of conversion therapy practiced on youth today is conducted by individuals who are not licensed to provide mental health treatment, and who are often uncompensated, thereby putting them out of reach of existing government licensure and fraud regulations. [Extracted from the article]