Elected representatives in Northern Ireland have warned that a proposed ban on conversion therapy has “many flaws” and is potentially “dangerous”.
Bans on supposedly abusive conversion therapy practices have been mooted across the British Isles. Christian and free-speech groups have raised concerns that any such law poses grave risks for parents and churches.
Critics point to the fact “abuse” within therapeutic contexts is already illegal and that a specific law could effectively criminalise parents refusing to affirm their child’s gender identity or church leaders praying for members of their congregation.
It has been suggested that the Conservative Party, although initially supportive of a conversion therapy ban when it was in office, later dropped the idea over fears it would be incompatible with human rights legislation relating to freedom of speech and religion.
Now Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Northern Ireland have begun sharing similar concerns.
At the first debate on the proposed bill at Stormont, Diane Dodds of the DUP said the proposed law could have a “particular” impact on churches, saying “belief is not just about a nice feeling inside, it’s actually directive and urges us to live in a particular way”.
Deborah Erskine, also of the DUP, noted that the proposed bill has no exemption for parents “talking with your child”. Those who fall foul of the law could potentially face two years in prison.
Jon Burrows, leader of the UUP said the bill had “many flaws” and that a “parent would effectively need a KC at the kitchen table before having conversations with their child”.
“This bill makes good parenting hazardous. It makes freedom of expression dangerous, and I’d actually urge everybody to vote against it at this stage," he said.
Commenting on the debate, James Kennedy, Northern Ireland Policy Officer at The Christian Institute, said the bill was “ill-conceived and poorly drafted, covering vague notions of ‘suppression’ and ‘gender identity’ without any definition whatsoever".
"It has no safeguards for private family life, and directly targets even those who only act out of loving care," he said.
“A vote in favour effectively sends the PSNI into your family home. A simple discussion over the family dinner table risks turning into a police interview under caution.”
