Proposed conversion therapy ban comes up against human rights law

Following Labour’s stated desire to press on with a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBT-identifying people, Christian Concern’s Paul Huxley has suggested that any such law would likely breach human rights to unravel a non-existent problem.

Huxley noted that lots of the abuses highlighted by campaigners – electroshock therapy, chemical castration and “corrective” rape – are either already illegal or haven’t been witnessed in Britain for many years. In the case of “corrective” rape, no instance of a therapist recommending this treatment has ever been recorded.

Writing for Christian Concern, Huxley questioned the meaning of the federal government’s proposed ban on “abusive conversion practices”. Practices which are genuinely abusive are already illegal. This begs the query as as to if the proposed ban is solely a sop to the LGBT lobby or an try and label all conversion practices as inherently abusive.

If the federal government intends to take the latter path, it’s going to come up against the legal challenge of banning activities corresponding to prayer, counselling and even easy conversations, while in some way respecting freedom of speech.

It was this legal barrier that led the Conservatives to desert their very own plans to introduce a ban on conversion therapy.

As Huxley puts it, “The idea of a ‘conversion therapy’ ban isn’t only incorrect, but essentially inconceivable without breaching human rights commitments. Does Labour really need to commit its next three years to this unnecessary, doomed project?”

Huxley went on to argue that there should indeed be a ban on “conversion therapy”, but not of the type Labour and the Conservatives have envisaged.

“There are indeed abusive, harmful practices being done, even paid for by taxpayers, that seek to convert boys into girls and girls into boys,” he said.

“An entire end to chemically castrating young individuals with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can be an ideal start for a ban.

“We could also ban mastectomies which are carried out for the needs of gender, together with ‘bottom’ surgeries on genitalia.

“These practices are genuinely harmful and abusive, with a growing evidence base to show it.”