Labour voters are overwhelmingly against the Westminster Government’s plans to ban ‘conversion practices’ due to the impact it would have on parents and pastors, a new poll has revealed.
The Government’s definition of conversion therapy in its draft Bill includes “emotional pressure” on a person that causes them to believe they have or do not have a particular “sexual orientation” or “transgender identity”. Any person found guilty of an offence faces a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
While 57 per cent initially support a ban, a poll of more than 4,000 UK adults by Whitestone Insight for The Christian Institute revealed that support dropped to just 8 per cent once respondents learned that parents could be criminalised for discouraging their children from ‘changing sex’ or adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach.
Falling support
As it stands, the legislation could apply to a parent refusing to affirm a child’s ‘preferred opposite-sex pronouns’, or a mother refusing a breast-binder, puberty blockers, testosterone or mastectomy to her daughter. Such ‘offences’ could be deemed ‘economic or emotional pressure’ under the proposed ban.
The survey is believed to be the largest nationally representative poll examining the UK public’s attitude to legislation on a conversion practices ban and its potential scope, and Labour voters were not the only demographic concerned.
Support across all UK adults dropped below 40 per cent if the ban were to criminalise a parent refusing to allow their child to participate in a Pride march, advising a 16-year-old against intercourse, or praying with a child to help them stop watching pornography.
Three out of four of the public (73 per cent) support freedom to express non-coercive religious views without fear of prosecution, compared with just one in ten who disagree. Over half say that religious groups, such as churches or charities, provide important advice and counsel.
The polling also directly tested the potential criminalisation of pastoral advice. When asked whether they would continue supporting the legislation if it encompassed a minister advising a man not to leave his wife for another man, less than 40% remained supportive – that’s less than one in five of all those polled.
Sweeping powers
The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director, Simon Calvert, said: “This polling exposes the enormous gap between support for the words ‘ban conversion therapy’ and support for what the sweeping draft legislation the Government proposes could actually mean in people’s lives.
“Labour voters initially appear supportive, but when asked if they would still support it in 15 concrete situations in which ordinary parental decisions, private conversations, prayer, pastoral advice and personal opinions could potentially become criminal matters, that support melts away.
“The message on religious freedom is particularly clear. Nearly three-quarters of people believe that non-coercive religious views should be capable of being expressed without fear of prosecution. When voters are asked about outlawing a minister giving pastoral advice to a man about his marriage, support for the legislation falls below 20%.
“Before Parliament creates new criminal offences, ministers need to be honest with the public about what those offences could actually cover. This poll shows that when people are faced with the potential consequences, support for a conversion practices law collapses.”
‘The public will not support this’
Rosie Duffield, independent MP for Canterbury, also commented on the findings. She said: “The Government’s proposed legislative ban on ‘conversion therapy’ would clearly give rise to a plethora of untenable situations for parents, punishing those who want to take a cautious approach when their vulnerable 13-year-old daughter suddenly declares themselves to be ‘transgender’.
“Parents shouldn’t feel threatened into buying developmentally-stunting chest-binders for their child; nor should they be punished for wanting to call them by their true name, or use accurate pronouns, or refusing them puberty-blockers or hormones which could cause long-term harm.
“The ‘conversion therapy ban’ ensnares the very adults whose job it is to protect children from rushing in to major life-changing decisions at a premature age. It’s clear that the public will not support this reality.”
Criminalising ordinary people
Last week, MPs and Peers tasked with scrutinising the controversial Bill began hearing oral evidence from a number of groups to determine how it might impact them.
Addressing the Committee on behalf of the Gay Men’s Network, criminal law barrister Dennis Kavanagh said that subjecting medics and parents to the threat of criminal prosecution “is a chilling effect of the most tyrannical kind” and that the Bill “fundamentally violates the principle of legal certainty, which could lead, frankly, to arbitrary enforcement, unpredictable case law and general public confusion”.
He also warned that the Bill was in direct conflict with the European Convention on Human Rights: that it was ‘incomprehensible’, undermined parental freedoms, limited free speech, and directly discriminated against those who believed in biological reality.
Helen Joyce of Sex Matters said that the plans could catch ordinary people, “in a host of ordinary situations”, including parents, teachers and employers. She added that the legislation could in fact “potentially catch almost anyone in this country”.
The committee reviewing the Government’s draft Conversion Practices Bill is inviting public submissions by 5pm on Monday 16 November.
Christians wishing to have their say can find guidance on how to respond below.
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