Puerto Rico Senate committee hears experts and senators debate bill to ban conversion therapy for minors

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Senate Commission on Community Initiatives for Mental Health and Addiction opened a public hearing at 9:21 a.m. on March 24, 2021, to consider Proyecto del Senado 184, a bill that would amend Puerto Rico’s mental‑health and child‑protection statutes to prohibit licensed mental‑health professionals from subjecting minors to conversion therapy.

The commission chair framed the hearing as fact‑finding and emphasized that the committee would not take formal recommendations during the session. The panel heard from Dr. José Francisi, a psychiatrist and neurologist identified in the record as director of the Department of Psychiatry at Universidad Central del Caribe, who presented clinical testimony supporting protections for minors. "No hay ninguna organización mundial de la salud respetada que la acepte," he said, summarizing the position of major health bodies he cited in his presentation.

Dr. Francisi described clinical cases and historical context, saying conversion therapies have been associated with humiliation, aversive techniques and, in some cases, serious mental‑health harms. He told senators the practice was once pathologized but was removed from diagnostic manuals decades ago and that major professional organizations oppose conversion therapies. He cited, as data points in his testimony, a report referenced to the United Nations that he said found about 50% of documented conversion‑therapy cases involved people under 18 and about 90% involved people under 24.

Senators used the questioning period to probe both the scientific basis and the bill’s language. Sen. Joan M. Rodríguez Bebe read the bill’s definition aloud and asked the witness whether he had read the draft in full; Dr. Francisi said he had not. The senator highlighted that the bill’s definition uses the word "individuo" (individual) and asked whether that language could unintentionally restrict adults who voluntarily seek change; the witness distinguished voluntary adult therapy from coercive practices and reiterated the bill’s stated intent to protect minors.

Other senators pressed similar themes: Sen. Ana Irma Rivera Lazen asked for source attribution for the prevalence figures the witness cited; Sen. Rafael Bernabé sought confirmation that the proposal aligns Puerto Rico with international professional consensus; and Sen. Rubén Soto Rivera asked whether sanctions, including professional discipline or criminal penalties in extreme cases, should apply to practitioners who cause harm. Dr. Francisi said disciplinary measures for professionals are appropriate and that, depending on outcomes, criminal liability could be evaluated case by case.

Several senators also raised questions about faith‑based requests for counseling and how clinicians should balance religious concerns with clinical ethics. Dr. Francisi said he does not impose religious views and focuses on treating emotional distress rather than enforcing a faith position.

The committee record shows the chair announced additional panels and that hearings would continue that day and on the following Friday; the session recessed to allow the next panel to take its place. The commission did not vote or adopt recommendations during this hearing.

What’s next: The committee indicated further panels would appear later in the day and on Friday; the bill remains under consideration and the hearing record will be available to senators for subsequent deliberations.