Senate Bill 184, which sought to outlaw diversion therapies in Puerto Rico, was today defeated in the Senate Committee on Community Initiatives, Mental Health and Addiction.

The project report garnered eight votes against and seven in favor, as confirmed by the press office of Senator Jose Vargas Vidot, who chairs the committee.

The aforementioned bill sought to amend the Puerto Rico Mental Health Act and the Minors’ Safety, Welfare, and Protection Act, in order to broaden the protection of the physical and mental health of minors.

Senators who voted against: Thomas Rivera Schatz (National People’s Party), Wanda Soto Tolentino (National People’s Party), Marisa Jimenez Santoni (National Progressive Party), Joan Rodriguez Vevey (PD), Robin Soto Rivera (PPD), ADA Garcia Montes (PPD), Albert Torres Piraeus (PPD) and Ramoncetto Ruiz Nevis (PPD).

Vote for: Jose Vargas Vidot (Independent), Maria de Lourdes Santiago Negron (PIP), Raphael Bernabée Revol (MVC), Migdalia Gonzalez-Arroyo (PPD), Gretchen Howe (PPD), Elizabeth Rosa Velez (PPD) and Rosamar Trujillo. Blume (PPD).

The following people did not participate in the vote: Mariali Gonzalez Huertas (PPD), Javier Aponte Dalmau (PPD), Jose Luis Dalmau Santiago (PPD).

Reactions to this defeat were swift. Human rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano directly blamed legislators for the People’s Democratic Party.

“The positive report defeat of this measure, which sought to outlaw mislabeled diversion therapies, has a name and surname: the People’s Democratic Party. It seems surprising that the PP has gone from being a presumed defender of social justice to being an accomplice to hate groups. They have learned nothing from the defeat of Charlie Delgado in front of the Governor due to homophobia and misogyny.They go in the same direction, but they do not realize that the Dignity Project is busy with the path of hate and that they cannot catch it, ”said Serrano.

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