Christians ready to take legal action if conversion therapy bill tramples on religious freedom

Oct 20, 2023 by Jill

from Christian Today:

The Christian Institute has repeated its call to the government to ensure that a ban on so-called conversion therapy does not interfere with everyday religious practice.

The organisation reiterated its readiness to take legal action against the Westminster government after The Times reported on Wednesday that the government is pressing ahead with a draft bill to ban LGBT ‘conversion practices’, contradicting reports earlier in the year that it was planning to quietly drop the proposals.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to include a draft bill in the King’s Speech after coming under pressure from Tory MPs, the newspaper reported.

The Christian Institute has said it will take legal action if the law prevents ordinary church activities like preaching, prayer and pastoral counselling.

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director for Public Affairs, Simon Calvert, questioned why a ban was necessary.

“By moving ahead with this Bill at all, the Government is wading into very dangerous territory. Gay and trans people are already protected, quite rightly, from verbal and physical abuse by existing law. Since those things are outlawed, what is it that this Bill will seek to criminalise?” he said.

He urged the government not to heed the call of some campaigners, like Jayne Ozanne, who want to include prayer in the ban.

“The leading activists on this issue – those the government is trying to placate – are quite clear that they want it to target conversations and ideas they don’t like,” he said.

Read here