http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/04/23/469667/california-ex-gay-bill/

A California Senate committee today advanced SB 1172, a bill that would help protect citizens from harmful, ineffective ex-gay therapy. The law does not outright ban all ex-gay therapy, but it does prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from undergoing sexual orientation change efforts. It also requires that any prospective patient sign an informed consent form that includes the following disclaimer:

"Having a lesbian, gay, or bisexual sexual orientation is not a mental disorder. There is no scientific evidence that any types of therapies are effective in changing a person's sexual orientation. Sexual orientation change efforts can be harmful. The risks include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior.

Medical and mental health associations that oppose the use of sexual orientation change efforts include the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy."

Against this, if a gay christian teen wants to pursue this, then that's their choice, not the governments. If California is ok with snake oils like healing crystals(as somebody already pointed out), then I see no reason to not allow people to pursue other kinds of snake oils(like pray the gay away).

but it's not their choice, it's a choice parents are making for them. that's why the law is specifically aimed at legal minors.

Like I said, if gay christian teenagers want to pursue pray-the-gay-away places let them. If the teenager makes the choice, why can't they pursue it

Because ex-gay-therapy does not work.

Because there is no way to prove that it is the teenager's choice and not their parents forcing them to do it.

Because it is inherrently harmful to the teenager's metal health.

If they want it, they can wait until their 18 to undertake it. There's a laundry list of treatments, "Treatments", procedures, and other such things you can't legally do as a teenager

You didn't read my post did you? I said the "therapy" was a snake oil. As for consent, how do I know that a teenager likes the a certain kind of music, or likes a certain kind of fashion and it isn't their parents forcing them? Simple, I ask them if that is what they want. If a kid can operate a machine that can kill multiple(a car), they can choose to go to a pray-the-gay-away place.

I'll be honest and say that I don't know how you would make sure its their choice.

Again, if it can be shown that the teen has chosen to go through with this therapy, they should be allowed to go through with it. If the state is so concerned with people doing things that harm them, why are people allowed to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or each cheese burgers?

Alcohol, cigarettes and cheese burgers are legal. Although in Norway these things are not legal for teens save your "cheese burger". Where did that come from?

Which part of harmful practice are you not getting? I am pretty sure they didn't sit down one day and said! "Lets ban this". There is research behind this and they conclude that this is not healthy practice. Google up on teen gay suicides to get a picture of what it is about. The teenage mind is a fragile thing that should not be messed with by religious nut jobs playing at being Sigmund Freud. They have no business telling kinds they are not normal for being what they are.

So then if this form of "therapy" is harmful, why allow anybody to take it? If it really is to help people, then why only prevent teens from taking it? Which goes back to my point about cigarettes, alcohol and cheese burgers. If the state is just trying to look out for the health of its citizens, then why are the other things I mentioned allowed to be consumed by the general public?

As has been pointed out, alcohol and tobacco are prohibited to minors. Should they not be?

My point was that if the therapy is harmful, then why is allowed when a person becomes a adult? If the state is trying to prevent people from harming themselves, shouldn't they care about adults as much as they do children(both are people and both are citizens)? And if they do try to pass a bill to ban this "therapy" for adults, then why not ban other things that harm adults like alcohol, cigarettes and cheese burgers?