Formal Letter to the legislative representative - Essay Example

? SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORT BILL Adam B. Schiff California District 28 Zip 90210 Beverly Hills CAOffice of the Chair, California Beverly Hills residents association Zip code 90210 Beverly Hills CA Dear Sir This is a follow-up letter from the residents of California to your office regarding the ‘Sexual orientation change effort bill’ as earlier proposed. It has come to the public attention that despite the collaborative efforts that the team and I put towards development of the bill and the subsequent campaign towards pressurizing the legislature to consider the bill little is the effort that you as the legislature are putting towards the course. Our concern was triggered by the numerous reports that hit the news headlines in the past regarding rising number of minors who easily access sexual conversion therapies especially in California. Therefore, our bill was not political but conversely had the interest of banning the therapies due to the notable effects on the minors. Conversion therapies refer to systematic efforts that change the sexuality of an individual from a male either to a female or vice versa. Such include psychological approaches, religious approaches and medical operations all of which seek to change an individual’s sexuality. Several facilities in the country offer such to adults who willingly seek the services. The service providers thus explain the potential ramifications of changing one’s sexuality. However, children who fall prey to such practices are extremely young members of the society who do not possess the mental stability and maturity to endure the implications of such operations and make sound judgments about the issues. While the sexual orientation change effort are legitimate practices that help adults make decisions, they require effective governance to caution the society from misuse by unscrupulous members of the society. Many children are embracing homosexuality owing to the therapeutic services that some service providers used systematically to recruit homosexuals. An earlier proposed bill in California also supported this bill and had a similar agenda to this bill. Following the rising reports published by the American Psychological Association, which determined that minors were accessing conversion therapies in the State of California, Senator Ted W. Lieu drafted a bill that sought to ban the therapies owing to their severe side effects on minors. Several facilities in the country offer such to adults who willingly seek the services. The service providers thus explain the potential ramifications of changing one’s sexuality. Studies proved that the sexual orientation efforts often had negative effects on children. Such effects included confusion, depression and substance abuse at some levels. Therefore owing to the adverse effects that are associated with the sexual conversion therapies that are currently targeting the minors, we proposed the bill that seeks to have proper guidance in the policies ascribed to in the practices. As indicated in our proposed bill, the main aims of the bill is to have sanity restored in the medical and legal system concerning protection of the rights of the minors while upholding ethical practices within the society. Children have always been the major target of sexual abuses over ages with children being assaulted owing to their vulnerability. Despite the great psychological as well as physical suffering that children suffer, undergo through due to sexual exploitation, the orientation therapies have increased to this suffering in targeting the minors more. The practices are not only exploitative but also unethical and hence needs to be opposed with all seriousness possible. It was in the position that the bill was drafted in order to have a voice against such vices in the society. Among other recommendations of the bill were the serious disciplinary and corrective measures to be enforced towards such perpetrators who are guilty of breaking the law when the bill is enacted. Severe jail terms as well as fines are the recommendations of this bill in order to institute its severity over the persons contravening it. All psychiatrists who would conduct such unethical practices in their private practices would become legally liable and face a jail term if proven guilty not exceeding five years or pay a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars. The bill intends to ban the production of explicit materials that would persuade children in to such practices and the contravention of such would amount to a similar crime thus attract similar punishments. To help implement the law, the government would review the school curriculum to ensure that teaching and other teaching aids adhered to the set standards. Teachers thus would adhere to the set curricula and use specific teaching aids only. The contravention of the provision leading to the use of such privilege position to influence the sexuality of children would equally amount to a criminal offense and attract similar punishment as indicated above. The development of a bill has the potential of being suggested by constituents or specific interest group who would direct it to a legislator (a senator or a representative). The legislative service agency takes over the proposal and drafts the proposal into a proper bill after which it is filed into the chamber. It is the responsibility of the particular legislator to follow up the bill and ensure that the house leadership calls the bill for the first hearing whereas if it is not called, then the bill dies; for introduction, the bill is read to the whole house after which a particular house is assigned. If read, it is deliberated on (its advantages and disadvantages) and either tabled or voted upon. When voted upon and the bill advances, the committee refers it back to the initial house for a second reading. The bill can again be approved for hearing or it can ‘die’ where upon the second hearing, deliberations may commend amendments or otherwise through a vote; back in the initial house, the third reading commences where two thirds of representatives hold the say on the bill. The process is repetitive and the bill risks ‘dying’ at any of the steps as it goes through the House of Representatives or the senate. The governor therefore holds the decision to signing the bill into a law or otherwise the bill may ‘die’. Nonetheless, federal laws go a step further to seek the ascent of president after a bill successfully passes the two houses (senate and the House of Representatives). It becomes a law when the president signs it but if otherwise vetoed, senate and the house members may only intervene through 2/3 member vote. It is therefore with this understanding that we push for this bill because as it is, without proper follow-up in either of the two houses, the bill would ‘die’ at any one-step. However, proper follow-up by the legislator responsible would lead to the enactment into a law or otherwise be amended but ultimately becoming a law (MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, 2010; Office of the Federal Register, nd). With our bill being more or less a health related bill, it represents a public policy and as such applies to all members of the public. There are different approaches and models that are applied to policy making and they include rational approach, the stage sequential approach, incrementalism as well as the model of policy stream model (Mason, Leavitt, and Chaffee, 2007). In such an analysis that involves the enactment of a bill into a law through the legislature, the policy process is most suited. Through this policy framework, the policies are taken through a series of stages through which thorough analysis and deliberations are undertaken (Parag, nd). This is commended for the legislation procedures by the political system as the different stages of evaluation would lead to thorough scrutiny and in the process streamline any possible loopholes that would be identified. Moreover, in the event that a proposed bill fail to meet the necessary approval by the houses involved, then the failure to assent it into a law would be termed as beneficial to the well being of the public. Through the system, therefore, various policy structures can be restructured to fit the desired audience. In this regard, therefore, this letter is meant to request for an update of the progress in the proposed bill within the House of Representatives. We, as the constituents, are deeply concerned over the vices addressed within the bill and, hence, the interest. Gladly looking forward for your feedback. Yours faithfully, The Chair, California Beverly Hills residents association References Mason, Diana J., Leavitt, Judith K., and Chaffee, Mary W. Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care. University of Phoenix: Elsevier, 2007. Print MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, (2010). The Legislative Process: How a Bill Becomes a Law and Legislative Terms. Retrieved from < http://www.mentoring.org/downloads/mentoring_1278.pdf> Office of the Federal Register, (nd). A Guide to the Rulemaking Process. Retrieved from < https://www.federalregister.gov/uploads/2011/01/the_rulemaking_process.pdf> Parag Y., (n. d.). A System Perspective for Policy Analysis and Understanding: The Policy Process Networks. Retrieved from Read More