A new poll has suggested that support for a ban on conversion therapy rapidly disappears once the full implications of such a ban are explained, including among Labour voters.
In a poll of 4,201 adults in Britain, conducted on behalf of The Christian Institute by Whitestone, 51 per cent of respondents initially expressed support for a potential ban.
However, when pollsters put forward a number of possible uses of the law, such as penalising a father praying with his son to stop watching pornography, a minister advising a man not to leave his wife for another man or a same-sex attracted person advocating celibacy – all of which are possibilities according to legal experts – support virtually disappears.
When 15 such scenarios were put forward, support dropped from 51 per cent to just three per cent. Among Labour voters support dropped from 57 per cent to four per cent.
The polling found that some scenarios were less contentious than others. Among Labour voters for example, 40 per cent found no issue with the possibility that a religious minister could be penalised for advising a man not to leave his wife for another man.
The Christian Institute said that the polling reveals how little the public know about the proposed ban on conversion therapy and that legitimate opposition to coercion or abuse could be used as a smokescreen to impose criminal sanctions on ordinary parents and preachers.
Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, said, “Labour voters initially appear supportive of a ‘conversion practices’ bill, but when asked if they would still support it in concrete situations in which private conversations, prayer, pastoral advice and personal opinions could potentially become criminal matters, that support melts away."
He added, “Before Parliament creates new criminal offences, ministers need to be honest with the public about what those offences could actually cover. This poll shows that when people are faced with the potential consequences, support for a conversion practices law collapses.”
