by Janet Eastham, Telegraph (Photo: Unsplash)
Legislation could criminalise prayer and pastoral care, warn Anglican leaders
LABOUR’S controversial new trans law risks criminalising prayer, the Church of England has warned.
The Anglican Church said that the legislation must not “unintentionally criminalise” providing prayer and pastoral support and that it must allow for discussion and disagreement.
A spokesman told The Telegraph that Church leaders would raise these concerns with MPs and peers scrutinising the draft Conversion Practices Bill. Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church have also voiced concerns about the bill and called for it to be abandoned.
The legislation threatens people with five years in prison for trying to suppress or change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill would cover parents, meaning mothers and fathers risk arrest for asking their child whether they really want to change gender.
The Telegraph has launched a campaign to scrap the proposed legislation amid warnings that it would have a chilling effect on family relationships. Opponents have warned the bill could also apply to prayer.
The warning from the Church will be seen as a blow to ministers who have touted the Church’s support for the law.
Yesterday, Cabinet Office officials told The Telegraph that there was “support for our draft bill from the Church of England” and cited an earlier endorsement from the Bishop of Manchester. However, in a statement, a spokesman for the Church of England said: “We believe that everyone is made in the image of God and should be cherished for who they are. In 2017, the General Synod voted overwhelmingly to call on the Government to bring forward a ban on conversion therapy with respect to sexual orientation, which has since been echoed by senior leaders.
“It is, however, important to ensure that any legislation does not unintentionally criminalise providing appropriate prayer and pastoral care to those who seek it, and we will reflect this concern in our evidence to the prelegislative scrutiny process. Of course, pastoral care and prayer should never be coercive. A ban on conversion therapy must still allow space for discussion and disagreement.
“We want to prevent abuses of power and coercive practices, which should be the focus of any legislation.”
The vote at General Synod – the Church’s legislative body – was passed before the proposed law was expanded to include attempts to change someone’s gender identity.