Friday, November 9, 2012

REPARATIVE THERAPY - Changing Homosexual Orientation - Serious Threat to Health &Life (e.g. suicide) - World Health Organization 2012 – May 17, 2012

Press Release

"THERAPIES" TO CHANGE SEXUAL ORIENTATION
LACK MEDICAL JUSTIFICATION
AND
THREATEN HEALTH

Washington, D.C., 17 May 2012 (PAHO/WHO) — Services that purport to "cure" people with non-heterosexual sexual orientation lack medical justification and represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a position statement launched on 17 May, the International Day against Homophobia. The statement calls on governments, academic institutions, professional associations and the media to expose these practices and to promote respect for diversity.

Twenty two years ago, on May 17, the World Health Assembly removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders when it approved a new version of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). 

"Since homosexuality is not a disorder or a disease, it does not require a cure. There is no medical indication for changing sexual orientation," said PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago. Practices known as "reparative therapy" or "conversion therapy" represent "a serious threat to the health and well-being—even the lives—of affected people." 

The PAHO statement notes that there is a professional consensus that homosexuality is a natural variation of human sexuality and cannot be regarded as a pathological condition. However, several United Nations bodies have confirmed the existence of "therapists" and "clinics" that promote treatment intended to change the sexual orientation of non-heterosexual people. 

The document notes that no rigorous scientific studies demonstrate any efficacy of efforts to change sexual orientation. However, there are many testimonies about the severe harm to mental and physical health that such "services" can cause. Repression of sexual orientation has been associated with feelings of guilt and shame, depression, anxiety, and even suicide. 

As an aggravating factor, there have been a growing number of reports about degrading treatments, and physical and sexual harassment under the guise of such "therapies," which are often provided illicitly. In some cases, adolescents have been subjected to such interventions involuntarily and even deprived of their liberty, sometimes kept in isolation for several months.

"These practices are unjustifiable and should be denounced and subject to sanctions and penalties under national legislation," said Dr. Roses. "These supposed conversion therapies constitute a violation of the ethical principles of health care and violate human rights that are protected by international and regional agreements." 

To address the problem, PAHO makes a series of recommendations for governments, academic institutions, professional associations, the media, and civil society, including:  

·         “Conversion” or “reparative” therapies and the clinics offering them should be denounced and subject to adequate sanctions. 

·         Public institutions responsible for training health professionals should include courses on human sexuality and sexual health in their curricula, with a focus on respect for diversity and the elimination of attitudes of pathologization, rejection, and hate toward non-heterosexual persons.

·         Professional associations should disseminate documents and resolutions by national and international institutions and agencies that call for the de-psychopathologization of sexual diversity and the prevention of interventions aimed at changing sexual orientation.

·         In the media, homophobia in any of its manifestations and expressed by any person should be exposed as a public health problem and a threat to human dignity and human rights.

·         Civil society organizations can develop mechanisms of civil vigilance to detect violations of the human rights of non-heterosexual persons and report them to the relevant authorities. They can also help to identify and report people and institutions involved in the administration of “reparative” or “conversion therapies.”

PAHO, which celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, is the oldest public health organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO.
Read more:


World Health Organization

“CURES” FOR AN ILLNESS THAT DOES NOT EXIST
Purported therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation lack medical justification and are ethically unacceptable Photo

"REPARATIVE THERAPY" or "CONVERSION THERAPY"
Reported violations of personal integrity and other human rights
As an aggravating factor, “conversion therapies” have to be considered threats to the right to personal autonomy and to personal integrity. There are several testimonies from adolescents who have been subject to “reparative” interventions against their will, many times at their families’ initiative. In some cases, the victims were interned and deprived of their liberty, sometimes to the extent of being kept in isolation during several months.6 The testimonies provide accounts of degrading treatment, extreme humiliation, physical violence, aversive conditioning through electric shock or emetic substances, and even sexual harassment and attempts of “reparative rape,” especially in the case of lesbian women. Such interventions violate the dignity and human rights of the affected persons, independently of the fact that their “therapeutic” effect is nil or even counterproductive. In these cases, the right to health has not been protected as demanded by the regional and international obligations established through the Protocol of San Salvador and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
Read complete position statement - May 17, 2012  

Spitzer Issues Apology for Study Supporting REPARATIVE THERAPY - 6/15/12 - Robert Spitzer, M.D. - has now RENOUNCED the findings that “REPARATIVE THERAPY” could help gay people change their sexual orientation

Psychiatry Giant Sorry for Backing GAY ‘CURE’ – 5/18/12

Spitzer's Apology Changes 'Ex-Gay' Debate – 5/21/12 – NPR -- …CONAN: Do you think homosexuality is a choice? SPITZER: Is a choice? No, for sure, that's the one thing I have no doubt about, it's no choice. CONAN: And in a distinguished career, this has been, I guess, an unfortunate last chapter. SPITZER: Well, it's unfortunate in one sense, but I feel very relieved and very grateful to the many people who have told me or written to the New York Times that I Did The Right Thing, and I think I did. Photo

TWO exclusive VIDEO: Dr. Robert Spitzer retracts his infamous "ex-gay" study – May 30, 2012
 
GAY CONVERSION THERAPY DEVASTATED MY FAMILY - CHANA WILSON – 6/25/12 - REPARATIVE THERAPY, which attempts to make gay people straight, is not just futile -- It often causes serious harm, including increased depression, self-hatred, and even suicide. It can devastate not just a gay individual, but entire families…

Gay Baby Boomers Waiting for More Apologies - Jeffrey Sharlach – 6/01/12

Facing the Truth About Reparative Therapy and America's War on Gay Teens - Tomas Mournian – 5/22/12 …The reparative therapy described in "Hiding Out" and my later related reportage chronicled torture practices that were coercive and, in many ways, the same as what was happening in the Iraqi torture sites. Reparative therapy or torture? Humiliation, isolation, extreme physical positions, and forced confessions were as common at Teen Help (a now-defunct umbrella organization that referred parents to reparative-therapy facilities that has been exposed on WWASPS Survivors Network) as at Abu Ghraib…

California Senate Votes To Ban Gay ‘Conversion’ Therapy – 5/30/12

The Lies and Dangers of Reparative Therapy – HRC - May 2012
Many right-wing religious groups promote the concept that an individual can change his or her sexual orientation, either through prayer or other religious efforts, or through so-called "reparative" or "conversion" therapy. The limited research on such efforts has disproven their efficacy, and also has indicated that they can be affirmatively harmful. Beyond studies focused solely on reparative therapy, broader research clearly demonstrates the significant harm that societal prejudice and family rejection has on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, particularly youth. Furthermore, there is significant anecdotal evidence of harm to LGBT people resulting from attempts to change their sexual orientation. Based on this body of evidence, every major medical and mental health organization in the United States has issued a statement condemning the use of reparative therapy…

Research on the Impacts of Reparative Therapy, Harms Caused by
Societal Prejudice

Organizational Positions on Reparative Therapy

American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
American Counseling Association
American Medical Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association
American School Counselor Association
National Association of Social Workers
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO): Regional Office of the World Health Organization



Catholic Archbishop of Seattle Hunthausen issues a letter against homosexual discrimination - July 1, 1977 …publicly defends the rights of gays and lesbians.


1985 - Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle – His emphasis is on renewal, Vatican II and the “guidance of the Holy Spirit” – He is Attacked by Ratzinger/Benedict XVI – who ARBITRARILY DISAGREES with Vatican II  
Ratzinger’s letter to Hunthausen – 9/30/1985         
          Ratzinger’s letter is a vision of the Church which he expresses explicitly and repeatedly…a demonstration of Ratzinger’s personal possession of expert power. According to this vision, there is a clear, consistent and true teaching of the Church which can be known and passed on (the authentic tradition is singular). The duty of the hierarchy in relationship to this teaching is to defend it and pass it on untainted with error.
(Contrast this with Hunthausen’s emphasis on renewal, Vatican II and the “guidance of the Holy Spirit.”) This is where Hunthausen has fallen short. As Ratzinger sees it, confusion and a lack of clarity about where the Church stands have been allowed to settle into many aspects of archdiocesan pastoral practice…This, Ratzinger proposes, is the business at hand, the set of issues which Hunthausen is to address in his leadership of the archdiocese and in his exchanges with the Holy See (Rome controls the agenda). Photo
          Notably, an issue that Ratzinger does not mention is Hunthausen’s controversial stand on nuclear weapons…
          Despite Ratzinger’s invocation of the Second Vatican Council, he acknowledges here no earthly forms of authority arising outside of the Church. On the contrary, extraecclesial sources of knowledge are depicted here as posing a threat to the proper catechesis and pastoral service of the faithful: “The Church should be understood as more than a merely social entity, governed chiefly by psychological, sociological and political processes,” Ratzinger writes. “An anthropology which is dominated by the tentative conclusions of the human sciences could well undermine many pastoral initiatives, however well intentioned.” Juxtaposed with the remarks about the limits of the “human sciences” is a catalogue of references to teachings of the magisterium, which offer the kind of sure teaching absent in the extraecclesial disciplines. Thus, if Hunthausen is unclear himself about the way forward, he is invited to have reference to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 1976 Declaration on Sexual Ethics, the documents of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference, the revised Code of Canon Law, the Congregation’s 1975 Instruction, Inter Insigniores, etc. (These documents signal the Holy See’s possession of superior legal and expert power.) The technical nature of this presentation highlights the fact that this is a communication between one bishop and another. It also underscores Ratzinger’s view that this is an intraecclesial matter that Hunthausen is expected to address with intraecclesial resources...
Read more:
Chapter 6 - Narrative and Analysis Of The Rome-Hunthausen Case: The Early Stage (1978-September 1986)
Conflict in the Catholic Hierarchy: a study of coping strategies in the Hunthausen affair, with preferential attention to discursive strategies 2003 - by Timothy Peter Schilling
Full PDF

Reference to Second Vatican Council - In 1962, Pope John XXIII, named Man of the Year in 1963 by Time magazine, opened the Second Vatican Council with the intention of internally renewing the global Roman Catholic church. When asked about his motivation for convening the council, Pope John XXIII moved to the window and threw open the sash — his rationale being, "I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in." The Council published 16 documents and produced many visible changes in Catholic life and doctrine. Most basically, it began to open up Catholic thought and doctrine, leading to a less hierarchical governance, increased roles for the laity, Masses spoken in native languages rather than intoned in Latin, and an openness to the practice of beliefs and practices of other Christians and Jews — as in the declaration on religious liberty, Dignitatis Humanae… Photo          
Read more & access related links:

Vatican Crackdown – Archbishop HUNTHAUSEN of Seattle, Washington for Supporting GAYS & LESBIANS – by Ratzinger’s (Benedict XVI) … CRUEL & DEMEANING treatment of Hunthausen – to effectively - INTIMIDATE - fellow prelates - 1983


Gay Marriage – Benedict XVI & Hitler’s Rejection of Modern Science - Public Propaganda to Systematically Dehumanize Whole Groups of People – including Children


Benedict XVI Rejection of Human Sciences (e.g. psychology) – Repeating - Hitler’s Rejection of Modern Science 


As SCIENCE moves forward on Research & Understanding Homosexuality -- RATZINGER/BENEDICT XVI Ignoring Science - Sanctions Ignorance & Silence Promoting discrimination of Homosexuality – A Timeline


Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) … efforts to PREVENT the EVOLUTION in Church Teaching toward ACCEPTANCE of HOMOSEXUALS - Milestones in campaign to hold the doctrinal - beginning 1984 - July 30, 1999


Archbishop Weakland’s - 1986 - Warnings to Vatican inquisitor – valuing RIGIDITY OF DOCTRINE over PEOPLE – Mistreatment of Archbishop HUNTHAUSEN – 9/28/1986 ---
…He contended that previous efforts to monitor and safeguard Catholic doctrine have been undertaken in an atmosphere where ``amateurs-turned-theologians easily became headhunters and leaders were picked (on the basis of) the rigidity of their doctrine, so that often second-rate and repressive minds, riding on the waves of fear, took over.
          ``Religion under such circumstances then can become an ideology that tolerates no obstacle and that values ideas more than people,`` he wrote...

 
GAY RIGHTS – US President Obama Appreciates Fr. Marty Kurylowicz’s Perspective on Gay (LGBT) Rights | US Catholic Clergy Supportive of GAY RIGHTS – Are Attacked, Silenced and Removed for the past 30 years by Ratzinger / Benedict XVI  - 1983 Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle

Kurylowicz Comes Out - By Charles Honey - June 28, 1997 - …A spokeswoman for the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference said Kurylowicz's coming out to his congregation, first in a newsletter then from the pulpit on Holy Thursday, is "UNPRECEDENTED." "No one knows of anyone who has spoken of this from the pulpit," said Sister Mary Ann Walsh…"It was one part [being gay] of myself that was just closed off," says the youthful-looking 47-year old. But the feelings persisted. "Just like any heterosexual, those feelings are always there," explains Kurylowicz, who speaks with a nervous but friendly intensity. "You're shamed by it every time they come up. Then you (start) running away. You stop being who you are. You become something that you think others will find more acceptable." Kurylowicz became a workaholic…Kurylowicz says his decision was triggered by a report that homosexually oriented CHILDREN as young as 4 realize they're DIFFERENT. He was moved by the pain those CHILDREN feel… "Then I realized they don't have a voice, and I'm the one [a CATHOLIC PRIEST] that's supposed to say something," Kurylowicz says. "That's why I couldn't walk away from it."…


Impending Rules on Gay Priests Create Catholic Divide - October 8, 2005 - …Rev. Martin Kurylowicz came out to his Sparta parish eight years ago, he said he had struggled for years with his homosexuality… the struggle would be made harder for many others if the Vatican issues new rules that reportedly would ban gays from becoming priests… “Kids as young as 4 or 5 know they're DIFFERENT," said Kurylowicz, a psychotherapist… "They grow up with this pervasive guilt, which sabotages their growth and motivation." The result is thousands of dollars in therapy to accept their natural orientation, he said, adding, "DOES THE VATICAN WANT TO TAKE THAT ON, LIKE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY HAD TO TAKE ON FOR THE DAMAGE IT CAUSED CONSUMERS?”… - 10/8/05

Gay  (LGBT) Children Protected - California 1st to stop - “Psychological Child Abuse” of “Sexual orientation change efforts” - Bans Gay Conversion Therapy for Minors - Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill on Sunday 9/30/12

Parishioners Supportive Of Gay Priest - By Charley Honey - March 29, 1997 - The Rev. Martin Kurylowicz got lots of hugs after Good Friday services at Sparta's Holy Family Catholic Church…He spoke up after attending a national conference on gay issues and the Catholic Church in early March. He was disturbed by accounts of homosexual CHILDREN feeling isolated and parents feeling they did something wrong. "I just couldn't walk away from it," he said. "I couldn't deny the pain." He hopes his admission will raise awareness of violence against homosexuals…
 
Fr. Hans Küng - Benedict XVIAUTHORITARIAN SYSTEM" parallels Germany's Nazi dictatorship | UNCONDITIONAL OBEDIENCE - Oath of Allegiance to Hitler| CRUSHING any form of Clerical Dissent | Catholic theologian - Hans Küng … Urges confronting - Catholic hierarchy CORRUPTION - 10/5/12

AUSCHWITZ – Benedict XVI’s CHRISTMAS 2008 -- A flashback far more severe than in --- BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN – December 26, 2008 – Fr. Marty Kurylowicz Photo
 
Seattle WA - Catholics defy bishops to pray for Gay Marriage – "AUTHORITY NEVER SUPPLANTS CONSCIENCE" - 10/29/12
…"Catholics believe Christ's primary message is one of love, and Catholic social teaching teaches us that God loves everybody.  We are standing up for centuries of Catholic social teaching."…
  
Gay Marriage – Maine’s bishop Malone follows Benedict XVI & drops SCIENCE as part of a WELL-INFORMED CONSCIENCE – Against Pope John Paul II – To Never Separate - SCIENCE and RELIGION ---
“SCIENCE can purify religion from error and superstition; RELIGION can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish.” 
 Photo 
 
RC hierarchy child sexual abuse “cover-ups” ordered by Benedict XVI to avoid public outrage & criminal charges falsely accused gay priests, WATERGATE? – 12/17/09



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