Christian Concern has warned that Labour’s plan to ban conversion therapy “opens the door to the persecution of parents and pastors”.
The government has said it intends to press on with plans to ban “abusive” therapeutic practices. Critics have pointed out that abuse is already illegal and that the highly subjective wording of the plans could lead to the criminalisation of conversations between parents and children.
Christian Concern said that not only would a ban put freedom of speech at risk, but it would also undermine the freedom of those with unwanted same-sex attraction to seek counselling and prayer.
The CEO of Christian Concern, Andrea Williams, said, “At the heart of the Christian message – the gospel – is change. We are converted from spiritual death to spiritual life and, over time, transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Any bill that seeks to hinder that change by leaving people without the support they desire is an anti-Christian one.
She added, “This bill opens the door to the persecution of parents and pastors through false accusations of abusive conversion practices.
“It entirely dodges questions about what actions genuinely are harmful or abusive, instead using terms like ‘controlling or coercive words’, ‘use of economic pressure’ and ‘use of psychological or emotional pressure’.”
Williams warned that parents who do not wish to affirm or support a child’s declaration that they are a different gender could find themselves accused of any of the above.
Clergy who have been asked to advise or help could also find themselves targeted by the law, Williams warned.
“Pastors who teach the historic, Biblical, Christian view of sexuality – that we should repent of sexual sins – will be said to be imposing psychological and emotional pressure on members of their churches,” she said.
“Someone who gratefully receives counselling and prayer but who later rejects their faith could assert that they received prayer and counselling under psychological pressure and blame any ongoing struggles on the ‘conversion practices’ they received.”
She continued, “In both of these cases, the parents and pastors could well eventually be found innocent, but not before months or years of accusations and trials. This is precisely what has happened to Matthew Grech who was accused of ‘advertising conversion practices’ in Malta. He was found innocent after being dragged through years of hearings in his criminal trial despite the case against him being legally preposterous.”
Grech is an ex-gay Christian who was accused of “advertising conversion practices” in Malta after sharing his testimony on a radio programme. He was found not guilty in March.