To enact sections 4723.95, 4731.45, 4732.34, 4743.11, 4757.46, and 4758.73 of the Revised Code to prohibit certain licensed health care professionals from engaging in conversion therapy for minor patients.
SB71 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 professionals, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and chemical dependency professionals, as well as applicants for licensure in those fields.
The bill also specifies that it does not bar supportive or gender-affirming care that does not seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. In particular, it allows assistance for patients who are transitioning, have transitioned, or are seeking to transition, as well as acceptance, support, coping, social support, identity exploration, and sexual-orientation-neutral interventions aimed at preventing unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices. Licensing boards would be required to enforce the prohibition by suspending, revoking, or refusing to issue or renew a license or certificate of registration for violations.
SB71 would add new sections to the Revised Code and require several state licensing boards to follow a uniform prohibition on conversion therapy for minors. It would directly affect professional discipline rules administered by the nursing board, medical board, psychology board, counselor/social worker/marriage and family therapist board, and chemical dependency professionals board. The practical effect would be to make conversion therapy for minors a sanctionable professional violation across multiple licensed health care fields in Ohio.
Based on the bill text and available context, the bill appears to be framed as a child-protection and professional-standards measure, with support from its sponsors and cosponsors. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented debate in the supplied materials. The overall tone of the bill is regulatory and prohibitory, indicating a clear intent to restrict a practice viewed by supporters as harmful to minors.
The main point of contention is likely the bill’s restriction on conversion therapy and how broadly that term is defined, especially in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation. Supporters would view the measure as protecting minors from harmful and discredited practices, while opponents may argue it limits professional speech or counseling options and could create uncertainty about what kinds of discussions or treatments are permitted. The bill attempts to address some of that concern by expressly allowing supportive, transition-related, and neutral interventions that do not seek to change orientation or gender identity.