Chris Christie Signs Ban On Gay Conversion Therapy: Rav Yoshe Ber On Homosexuality And Teshuva

The relevant legal parts of the bill

•  2. a. A person who is licensed to provide professional counseling under Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, including, but not limited to, a psychiatrist, licensed practicing psychologist, certified social worker, licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified psychoanalyst, or a person who performs counseling as part of the person's professional training for any of these professions, shall not engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a person under 18 years of age.
• b. As used in this section, "sexual orientation change efforts" means the practice of seeking to change a person's sexual orientation, including, but not limited to, efforts to change behaviors, gender identity, or gender expressions, or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person of the same gender.

The bill includes a heretical statement that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality

• 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: 
• a. Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming.

 Around 175 Rabbis signed a document urging anyone who has desires towards a person of the same sex to use therapeutic methods to change; a practice that is now banned by the state of NJ in a flagrant denial of the first amendment.

Listen to Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik on the possibility of changing homosexual inclination, and his strong opposition, to the liberal view of a therapists role in dealing with homosexuality.


Despite all this, "orthodox" assemblyman Gary Schaer had no problem voting for this evil bill


 Agudath Israel of America which did nothing to fight this evil bill released this statement!

Statement from Agudath Israel of America

Agudath Israel of America, a national Orthodox Jewish organization, issued the following statement today in reaction to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s signing of a bill that will prohibit therapists and counselors from treating minors seeking to overcome same-sex attraction:

We are deeply disappointed and saddened that the State of New Jersey now prohibits therapists from treating minors who have made a personal choice to seek help overcoming same-sex attraction.  The new law tramples on the rights of mental health therapists to engage freely in their profession, and it unfairly denies teenagers seeking therapy for issues that are troubling them the ability to obtain professional help. 

Under the new law, therapists, social workers or counselors who work with minors on these issues risk losing their licenses to practice their professions, and minors who sincerely want to obtain professional help will have nowhere to turn. This is an unconscionable infringement on personal liberty and a trampling of personal rights, including religious and free speech rights.

Agudath Israel views this threat to civil and religious liberties with great alarm.  We believe that the new law, like a similar one in California that has been challenged in court and whose implementation is currently blocked, is constitutionally suspect.  We will study the New Jersey law carefully and consult with mental health professionals in our community, as we consider all appropriate options.

_____________________________________________________________________

TRENTON —
Licensed therapists are banned from using conversion therapy to try to change a child’s "sexual orientation" from "gay" to straight under a bill Gov. Chris Christie signed today, making New Jersey the second state to prohibit the practice.

But a national religious-based legal and public policy group that blocked an identical law from taking effect in California earlier this year vowed to sue New Jersey, saying the legislation violates the First Amendment rights of parents and therapists.

The legislation (A3371) prevents any licensed therapist, psychologist, social worker or counselors related to these professions from using sexual orientation change efforts with a children under age 18. Offenders jeopardize their licensed status under the new law, which does not apply to clergy, or anyone who is not licensed by the state.

In his signing statement, Christie noted many leading health organizations had determined such therapy was ineffective and harmful.

"The American Psychological Association has found that efforts to change sexual orientation can pose critical health risks including, but not limited to, depression, substance abuse, social withdrawal, decreased self-esteem and suicidal thoughts," Christie wrote. "I believe that exposing children to these health risks without clear evidence of benefits that outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate."
 
Christie, a Catholic, had publicly stated his opposition to conversion therapy because he said he believes people are born gay. Asked about the bill at a campaign event today in Belleville, the Republican governor would only say, "The signing statement speaks for itself."

Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Matt Staver said his organization "will immediately file suit" at the request of New Jersey counselors and parents and national counseling organizations.

"The New Jersey governor is putting himself in every counseling room, dictating what kind of counseling clients can receive," Staver said. "This bill provides a slippery slope of government infringing upon the First Amendment rights of counselors to provide, and patients to receive, counseling consistent with their religious beliefs."

The leader of the state’s leading gay "rights" group, Garden State Equality’s Executive Director, Troy Stevenson praised Christie. The bill will ""protect" young people from being abused by those they should trust the most, their parents and their ‘doctors,’" Stevenson said.

Stevenson said he hopes this "will lead to a further "evolution"" for Christie on same sex "marriage", which the governor opposes.

"It is our truest hope that the governor will realize ... the best way to ensure our LGBT youth are protected from the abuse of being ostracized, is to provide them with "equality"," he said. yet gays suicides are much higher than a few years ago!

The hearings on the bill draw angry responses from gay "rights" advocates, family groups and people who had freely used gay conversion therapy to lead heterosexual lives.

Arthur Goldberg, co-director of the Jersey City-based Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, called the law "a tragic mistake."
"There are teenagers who go to mom and dad and say ‘I don’t want to be this way,’ as long as voluntary and not coercive, what’s the problem?" he said.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak  who the Jewish community of Elizabeth can knock out if it chooses to (D-Union) one of the bill’s sponsors, praised the governor’s actions. "We aren’t telling parents how to raise their children with this law, we are acting to "protect" young people from abuse," Lesniak said. "If adults want to make the decision to undergo this process, they can. But minors don’t have the same free choice."
 (NJ News)

"Orthodox" Gary Schaer voted to ban the practice Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik urged!

 here is the roll call of all those who voted on this bill.
Yes means to ban conversion therapy
No means your in favor of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and in favor of parents rights!
blue means Orthodox legislator who voted the wrong way
Green means a sizable enough Orthodox population that the politician in question is forced to listen to us, and if need be may be able to knock out!

Committee Voting:
AWC  6/13/2013  -  r/favorably  -  Yes {5}  No {0}  Not Voting {1}  Abstains {1}  -  Roll Call

	Lampitt, Pamela R. (Com. Chair) - Yes	Fuentes, Angel (V) - Yes	Casagrande, Caroline - Not Voting
	DeCroce, BettyLou - Abstain	Mosquera, Gabriela M. - Yes	Schaer, Gary S. - Yes
	Wimberly, Benjie E. - Yes

Session Voting:
Asm.  6/24/2013  -  3RDG FINAL PASSAGE   -  Yes {56}  No {14}  Not Voting {3}  Abstains {7}  -  Roll Call

	Albano, Nelson T. - Yes	Amodeo, John F. - Yes	Andrzejczak, Bob - Yes
	Angelini, Mary Pat - Yes	Barnes, Peter J., III - Yes	Benson, Daniel R. - Yes
	Bramnick, Jon M. - Yes	Brown, Chris A. - Yes	Brown, Christopher J. - Abstain
	Bucco, Anthony M. - No	Burzichelli, John J. - Yes	Caputo, Ralph R. - Yes
	Caride, Marlene - Yes	Carroll, Michael Patrick - No	Casagrande, Caroline - Yes
	Chivukula, Upendra J. - Yes	Ciattarelli, Jack M. - Yes	Clifton, Robert D. - No
	Conaway, Herb, Jr. - Yes	Connors, Sean - Yes	Coughlin, Craig J. - Yes
	Coutinho, Albert - Not Voting	Cryan, Joseph - Yes	Dancer, Ronald S. - No
	DeAngelo, Wayne P. - Yes	DeCroce, BettyLou - Abstain	DiMaio, John - No
	Diegnan, Patrick J., Jr. - Yes	Egan, Joseph V. - Yes	Eustace, Timothy J. - Yes
	Fuentes, Angel - Yes	Giblin, Thomas P. - Yes	Gove, DiAnne C. - Abstain
	Green, Jerry - Yes	Greenwald, Louis D. - Yes	Gusciora, Reed - Yes
	Handlin, Amy H. - No	Jasey, Mila M. - Yes	Jimenez, Angelica M. - Yes
	Johnson, Gordon M. - Yes	Kean, Sean T. - No	Lampitt, Pamela R. - Yes
	Mainor, Charles - Yes	McGuckin, Gregory P. - Abstain	McHose, Alison Littell - No
	McKeon, John F. - Yes	Moriarty, Paul D. - Yes	Mosquera, Gabriela M. - Yes
	Munoz, Nancy F. - Yes	O'Donnell, Jason - Yes	O'Scanlon, Declan J., Jr. - Abstain
	Oliver, Sheila Y. - Yes	Peterson, Erik - No	Prieto, Vincent - Yes
	Quijano, Annette - Yes	Ramos, Ruben J., Jr. - Yes	Rible, David P. - No
	Riley, Celeste M. - Yes	Rudder, Scott - Abstain	Rumana, Scott T. - Not Voting
	Rumpf, Brian E. - Abstain	Russo, David C. - No	Schaer, Gary S. - Yes
	Schepisi, Holly - Yes	Schroeder, Robert - Yes	Simon, Donna M. - Yes
	Singleton, Troy - Yes	Space, Parker - No	Spencer, L. Grace - Yes
	Stender, Linda - Yes	Sumter, Shavonda E. - Yes	Tucker, Cleopatra G. - Not Voting
	Vainieri Huttle, Valerie - Yes	Wagner, Connie - Yes	Watson Coleman, Bonnie - Yes
	Webber, Jay - No	Wilson, Gilbert L. - Yes	Wimberly, Benjie E. - Yes
	Wisniewski, John S. - Yes	Wolfe, David W. - No

Sen.    6/27/2013  -  3RDG FINAL PASSAGE   -  Yes {28}  No {9}  Not Voting {3}    -  Roll Call

	Addiego, Dawn Marie - Yes	Allen, Diane B. - Yes	Bateman, Christopher - Yes
	Beach, James - Yes	Beck, Jennifer - Yes	Bucco, Anthony R. - Not Voting
	Buono, Barbara - Yes	Cardinale, Gerald - No	Codey, Richard J. - Yes
	Connors, Christopher J. - No	Cunningham, Sandra B. - Yes	Doherty, Michael J. - No
	Gill, Nia H. - Yes	Gordon, Robert M. - Yes	Greenstein, Linda R. - Yes
	Holzapfel, James W. - No	Kean, Thomas H., Jr. - Yes	Kyrillos, Joseph M., Jr. - Not Voting
	Lesniak, Raymond J. - Yes	Madden, Fred H., Jr. - Yes	Norcross, Donald - Yes
	O'Toole, Kevin J. - No	Oroho, Steven V. - No	Pennacchio, Joseph - No
	Pou, Nellie - Yes	Rice, Ronald L. - Not Voting	Ruiz, M. Teresa - Yes
	Sacco, Nicholas J. - Yes	Sarlo, Paul A. - Yes	Scutari, Nicholas P. - Yes
	Singer, Robert W. - No	Smith, Bob - Yes	Stack, Brian P. - Yes
	Sweeney, Stephen M. - Yes	Thompson, Samuel D. - No	Turner, Shirley K. - Yes
	Van Drew, Jeff - Yes	Vitale, Joseph F. - Yes	Weinberg, Loretta - Yes

listen to Rav Yoshe Ber's complete statement!