[plantwallshoe]

> against their will

I’ll refer you to my comment that you’re replying to.

“If you, your child, and your doctor all agree…”

The counselor in the Supreme Court case is a certified Licensed Professional Counselor by the state of Colorado.

[yawpitch]

Actually, the comment I replied to was:

> Oh the better take is “my medically trained and board certified doctor says my kid needs a medical procedure but some 80 year old state congressman who needs his grandkids to unlock is iPhone says I shouldn’t, so I won’t”

I was specifically addressing the “medically trained and board certified doctor”, and you’re coming back at me with an LPC… an LPC is many things, but three things they almost never are are a) medically trained, b) certified by any medical board, or c) a medical doctor. Except in the most lunatic of states they are neither qualified to, nor legally allowed to, prescribe any medical treatment or intervention, they can only provide (in this case, bad and entirely unhelpful) psychotherapy.

Lastly, if you, your child, and your “doctor” all agree that “pray the gay away” is a good idea, you and your “doctor” are both completely delusional and guilty of child abuse, while your child is absolutely a victim of that abuse.

[plantwallshoe]

You’re getting very confused about this thread. That medically trained comment was in reference to a hypothetical situation laid out by some other commenter in which a doctor recommends a lobotomy.

If in this hypothetical world where a trained and certified doctor recommends a lobotomy, then it should be your right as a human to take that medical advice and apply it as you see fit. Some legislator with nearly zero medical training and a political agenda should not decide what is or is not medically acceptable.

Bringing it back to the real world: the same legal framework that blocks conversion therapy is the same legal framework that blocks hormone treatment. Whether I like it or not, I don’t think the government should decide what treatments we are allowed to have. I should be able to choose my doctor (even if you think they’re a shitty doctor) and take their medical advice. You should be able to choose your doctor (even if I think they’re a shitty doctor) and take their medical advice.

Feel free to replace the word “doctor” with “counselor” or with “priest” or with “accountant”; then replace “medical advice” with “therapeutic treatment” or with “religious guidance” or with “financial advice”.

All these professions (except priest) have some credential requirement with a bar roughly equivalent to the amount of damage they can do. If we as a society have agreed to their credential, we should be free to take their advice.