News

Wednesday June 16, 2010


Spanish Clinic Investigated for Allegedly Treating Same-Sex Attraction

By James Tillman

BARCELONA, Spain, June 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The government in Catalonia, Spain, is investigating the clinic Policlinica Tibidabo for offering treatments to help their clients get rid of unwanted homosexual desires. The clinic could face fines if it is confirmed that such treatments are being performed.

“An investigation has been opened into this clinic,” a spokeswoman for the regional government’s health department told Agence France-Presse.

“We do not consider homosexuality as an illness, far from it,” she continued.

Homosexual practices were only legalized in Spain in 1979 after the death of the dictator Franco. But Spain is now considered one of the more liberal countries in the world, and has legalized same-sex “marriage.”

Spain also permits same-sex couples to adopt, and allows homosexuals to donate blood and serve in the military.

Marina Geli, minister of Health for the Catalan government, said that there was “no scientific evidence to show that homosexuality should be treated as a disease, regardless of personal ideology.”

The American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from its list of disorders in 1973 after heavy lobbying from homosexualist activists. The World Health Organization removed it in 1990.

A spokesman for the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) told LifeSiteNews.com in response to the Spanish investigation that “research shows that highly motivated individuals seeking sexual orientation change therapies, both in group and in individual pyschotherapy, have experienced significant reduction, and for some, complete elimination of same-sex attractions.”

He continued: “We also believe that the freedom to choose one’s sexual preference – as well as undergo therapy to support a behavioral expression of sexuality and/or sexual identity – should not be trumped by political correctness; rather, it should be decided by individual self-determination.”

The homosexualist organization Coordinadora Gai Lesbiana (CGL) has come out in support the government’s decision.

“It is totally unacceptable, in the 21st century, that health professionals are trying to treat homosexuality,” CGL secretary general Antonio Guirado said in a statement. “You cannot treat something that is not an illness.”

“Those that need to be cured are the homophobes.”

Guirado said that “today more than ever, we are proud to be who we are, and with the support of public institutions of Catalunya and the vast majority of Catalan citizens … we will continue working to eradicate homophobia in our society for the benefit not only our community but for society as a whole.”