To enact sections 4723.95, 4731.45, 4732.34, 4743.12, 4757.46, and 4758.73 of the Revised Code to prohibit certain licensed health care professionals from engaging in conversion therapy for minor patients.
HB300 would prohibit certain licensed health care professionals in Ohio from providing conversion therapy to minor patients. The bill defines conversion therapy as efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including attempts to alter behaviors, gender expression, or same-sex attractions. It applies to a range of licensed providers, including nurses, physicians, psychologists, counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and chemical dependency professionals.
The bill also specifies that it does not ban supportive or exploratory counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity. Permitted conduct includes helping a patient who is transitioning or has transitioned, providing acceptance and support, and offering sexual-orientation-neutral interventions to address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. If a covered professional violates the prohibition, the relevant licensing board must impose disciplinary action, including suspension, revocation, or refusal to issue or renew a license or certificate of registration.
HB300 would add a new section to the Revised Code and direct multiple state licensing boards to enforce the ban through professional discipline. It would affect the Board of Nursing, State Medical Board, State Board of Psychology, Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, and Chemical Dependency Professionals Board by requiring them to comply with the new prohibition and sanction violators. The practical effect would be to limit the scope of permissible mental health treatment for minors by licensed professionals when the treatment is aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill appears to be introduced in a supportive policy environment, with multiple cosponsors and no recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the measure is framed as a patient-protection and professional-standards bill, and there is no evidence in the supplied record of formal opposition or amendment activity. Because the bill has only been introduced and referred to the House Health Committee, the overall sentiment in the available record is neutral-to-supportive but not yet fully developed through debate.
The main point of contention is likely to be the definition and scope of “conversion therapy” and whether the bill could be read to restrict certain counseling approaches for minors. Supporters would likely emphasize the ban on attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity and the disciplinary authority given to licensing boards, while critics may focus on concerns about limits on therapist discretion, parental involvement, or the boundary between prohibited conversion therapy and permitted counseling, support, or identity exploration. The bill itself tries to address that concern by expressly allowing transition-related assistance and neutral interventions that do not seek to change orientation or gender identity.