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The ethics of conversion therapy.

Timothy F Murphy

|April 1, 1991

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Conversion therapy attempts to change sexual orientation, often defended as a personal choice. This analysis argues that conversion therapy is morally questionable and should be opposed due to ethical concerns.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Ethics
Sociology

Background:

Historically, methods to suppress homoeroticism and promote heteroeroticism are termed conversion therapies.
Defenses of conversion therapy suggest it is morally permissible, even if not a disease, because individuals may suffer from perceived consequences of same-sex attraction.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically examine the moral defensibility of conversion therapies.
To argue against the notion that conversion therapy is ethically justifiable as a matter of personal preference.

Main Methods:

Philosophical and ethical analysis of conversion therapy.
Review of arguments defending conversion therapy based on personal suffering and choice.

Main Results:

Keywords:

Mental Health Therapies

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Conversion therapy is presented as a practice aimed at changing sexual orientation.
The typical defense posits that conversion therapy is morally acceptable due to individual suffering, despite societal tolerance.

Conclusions:

Conversion therapy is morally suspect and should be resisted.
Ethical considerations outweigh arguments for personal preference in the context of conversion therapy.