Bill to ban conversion therapy needs careful drafting, say bishops
by Francis Martin, Church Times:
HE Bishops of Bristol and Guildford have given qualified support to a Bill banning conversion therapy, telling the House of Lords that coercive practices should be banned but that any law needs to be carefully drafted in order not to inadvertently infringe civil liberties.
The Bill being debated on Friday was a Private Member’s Bill sponsored by the Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Burt of Solihull. The promise of a government-backed Bill on conversion therapy has yet to materialise.
During Friday’s debate, Baroness Burran, a junior minister sitting in the House of Lords, said that it remained the Government’s intention to publish a draft Bill for scrutiny.
Since the summer, there have been reports that a promised ban was off the table (), rumours that it was back on (News, 20 October 2023), and anger when, in the end, it was not put forward in the King’s Speech (News, 7 November 2023).
Putting forward her Bill, Baroness Burt said that the first challenge was to define “conversion therapy”, which is “not therapy at all”.
“Conversion therapy is any practice with the predetermined purpose of changing or suppressing a person’s expression of their sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices are based on the belief that there is a right way to behave and live your life,” she said.
Read here (£)
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