Conversion therapy is extremely harmful and it should be banned nationwide. I am an LGBTQ+ student and this affects me personally. Conversion therapy is an effort to change gender identity or sexual orientation and it is harmful to LGBTQ+ youth and has only negative outcomes. It is incredibly dangerous, but nevertheless it is still legal in 30 states. Conversion therapy needs to be banned nationwide.

Conversion therapy takes a toll on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. According to “Review of U.S. public policy, legislative, and judicial work on conversion efforts'' from APA PsychNet, “Decades of science demonstrate harm associated with conversion attempts.” Conversion therapy methods include nausea inducing drugs in an attempt to usually stop a person from being gay, which only ends in the person being disgusted by anything they’re attracted to because they associate the nausea with the attraction. This does not increase attraction to the opposite sex. These methods are both ineffective and harmful mentally, physically, and psychologically. The article “What does the scholarly research say about whether conversion therapy can alter sexual orientation without causing harm?,” from Cornell University demonstrates this point, saying that  “Some researchers found success in depressing same-sex arousal—often with the use of severe techniques—but often that did not translate into increased heterosexual arousal or ability to sustain a satisfying opposite-sex sexual relationship.”

Another thing is it is exceptionally expensive to keep conversion therapy. “The practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth, and its associated harms, cost the United States an estimated $9.23 billion annually,” says The Trevor Project in its article “New Study Finds Conversion Therapy, and its Associated Harms, Cost the U.S. an Estimated $9.23 Billion Annually”. If conversion therapy were banned nationwide, we wouldn’t have this issue, giving the US government more money for things with more positive impacts such as helping the homeless population and improving the economy, as opposed to something with only negative impacts. If not for any other reason, banning conversion therapy would save the US billions of dollars annually.

As well as being expensive and tolling on mental health, conversion therapy increases suicide rates, depression, and anxiety among LGBTQ+ youth. According to The Trevor Project’s 2022 national survey, 28% of those subjected to conversion therapy reported suicide attempts, vs. 27% of those threatened and 11% who were not subjected or threatened to conversion therapy. This shows that suicide attempts went up nearly 17% when subjected to conversion therapy and 16% when threatened with it.

Despite these points, some might argue that conversion therapy is religious freedom, as being LGBTQ+ is “against” some people’s religion, and I understand that concern. However, church and state are separate, as it says in the bill of rights. Conversion therapy amounts to abuse and is traumatizing for those subjected. They often have to go to other therapies afterward to recover from the experience. Conversion therapy is just as harmful and targets a minority.

In conclusion, conversion therapy is expensive, harmful to mental, physical and psychological health, and increases suicide rates among LGBTQ+ youth while enforcing the idea that it is “religious freedom”. Banning it would lower suicide, depression, and anxiety rates among LGBTQ+ youth as well as save the US billions annually.