"Conversion therapy" to "cure" gender misconduct: NMC tells court

Chennai: The National Medical Commission (NMC) told Madras High Court that LGBTQIA+ people are being subjected to "conversion therapy" by certain medical practitioners to "cure" the subjected individual's sexual orientation or gender, and such practices are professional misconduct, The News Minute reported.

The court was hearing a plea of a lesbian couple who sought relief from police harassment.

The court has included in a recent order a Tamil glossary of terms related LGBTQIA+ community and the NMC's submission.

The NMC has now sought the court to take action against those practising the conversion therapy. An expert committee also recommended the court that "conversion therapy" is professional misconduct.

The Madras High Court said that Section 27 of the National Medical Council Act, 2019, specifies the State Medical Councils (SMC) to ensure that the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct is strictly followed and, if violated, it should take disciplinary actions wherever the SMC's have power. It said that it would direct National Medical Council to circulate the report of the expert committee immediately and the recommendations made to all the State Medical Councils across the country.

After the case of lesbians reached court, the Tamil Nadu state government had made a law criminalising police personnel harassing LGBTQIA+ people. The Tamil Nadu Subordinate Police Officers' Conduct Rules 1964 got amended to include the new rule, 24 C, which says police should not harass the community or those working for its welfare.