Medical fraternity hails HC judgment on ‘cure therapy’

Lauding the initiative of the expert committee formed by the National Medical Commission NMC the academician associated with the Indian Medical Association IMA sexologist psychiatrist and counsellors said that the judgment delivered by the Honrsquoble Madras High Court is indeed very progressive for the queer communityA highpower committee in its submissions to the Madras High Court had submitted that Conversion Therapy changing the sexual orientation of a person to heterosexual will be construed as unethical and professional misconduct on the part of health professionals under chapter 6 and 7 respectively of the Indian Medical Council Professional Conduct Etiquette and Ethics Regulation 2002Need for legislationldquoIt is a matter of record that Honrsquoble Madras High Court in a judgment delivered by it in June 2021 has banned the practice of ldquoConversion Therapyrdquo in India and thereby bringing protective measures for the lesbian gay bisexual transgender individuals in the country The unfortunate practices like conversion therapy not only add to the social stigma but also go a long way in compounding preconceptions of discrimination Implementation of such therapies is a brazen violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed to a citizen by the Constitution of Indiardquo said Dr Vedprakash Mishra Special Advisor National Indian Medical Association New Delhi Dean Academic and Accreditation Board National Indian Medical Association New DelhildquoThe judgment that has been delivered by the Honrsquoble Madras High Court is indeed a very progressive judgment for the queer community However it needs anticonversion therapy legislation by the Parliament This would protect the privacy and dignity of the queer community Legislation prohibiting conversion therapy is the real answer to this grave problem and a decisive step towards upholding the accruable fundamental rights extended by the Constitution to the LGBTQ communityrdquo Dr Mishra concludedA welcome stepNoted Sexologist Dr Prakash Kothari who is also the founder Professor of Sexual Medicine at GS Medical College and KEM Hospital said ldquoThis is a very good move by the NMC because in my opinion conversion therapy is nothing but exploitation of the desperate by the ignorantrdquoldquoAs per the sixthcentury astronomer astrologer and ayurvedic physician lsquoVarhamihirarsquo wherein he mentions in his book lsquoBrihatjatakarsquo an individual is born that way And therefore I am of the view that to change the attraction pattern as such a person grows is inevitable NMC should have done this long backrdquo said Dr KothariDr Santosh Kadam President of Indian Medical Association IMA Thane said ldquoThe medical faculty has opposed such kinds of therapies all over the world for decades This therapy is unscientific unreliable inhumane and does not even give desired results This therapy is sought due to societal taboo To change somebodys sexual orientation towards samesex is done by mental and physical methods In mental methods hypnosis faith etc are used while the physical methods are cruel NMC opposing such practice is a welcome moverdquoDr Sanjay Kumavat senior consulting psychiatrist and former Deputy Director Mental Health Services Maharashtra ldquoWe welcome the decision of NMC and it is a positive step towards bringing an end to an unscientific and impractical approach by a minuscule number of health professionals They not only violate the Constitutional rights of the individual but also breach NMC guidelines This is also against the Indian Psychiatry Society IPS position statement The conversion therapy has also been declared obsolete by various international medical bodies on scientific groundsrdquo ldquoIt is important to be told that we as members of IPS had played an active role in bringing the muchrequired changes in the mindset of the stakeholders in India to recognise the LGBTQIA community and ensure that their rights are safeguardedrdquo said Dr KumavatldquoConversion therapy may lead to depression and anxiety disorders in a minor Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organisation for decades However due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ members some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy Medical practitioners must have an attitude of openness and respect for all genders and sexualities We welcome the decision of NMCrdquo said Dr Shivangi Pawar Psychotherapist from Dadar2021 JuneDate Madras HC banned practice of lsquoConversion Therapyrsquo