THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Thursday, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412220553 SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
The American Medical Association, reversing a 13-year-old policy, has stopped recommending efforts to turn unhappy gay men and lesbians into heterosexuals.
In a report adopted by the AMA's governing House of Delegates earlier this month, the association calls for a ``nonjudgmental recognition of sexual orientation by physicians.''
``All patients, regardless of their sexual orientation, have a right to respect and concern for their lives and values,'' says the report, titled, ``Health Care Needs of Gay Men and Lesbians in the U.S.'' ``However, gay men and lesbians face ostracism and discrimination from some health professionals.''
The policy paper, adopted at a meeting Dec. 6, replaces a 1981 paper titled, ``Health Care Needs of the Homosexual Population.'' The 1981 paper supported treatments aimed at changing the sexual orientation of homosexuals. The notion that gays could not be turned into heterosexuals, it said, was a myth.
``There are some homosexuals who would like to and probably could change their sexual orientation,'' the old policy read.
In its new policy paper, the AMA notes that homosexuals may have ``some unique mental health concerns'' related to negative social attitudes regarding homosexuality. However, it says, most of the emotional disturbance homosexuals may feel about their orientation ``is due more to a sense of alienation in an unaccepting environment.''
For this reason, it says, ``aversion therapy'' - such as showing a gay man nude pictures of men and then administering electric shocks or a substance to induce vomiting - ``is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians.'' by CNB