Churches could be criminalised for only baptising those who follow biblical sexual ethics under a new “conversion practices” law, a top lawyer has warned.
In a legal opinion for The Christian Institute, Jason Coppel KC said a Private Member’s Bill published by Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle last Friday would cause a “serious intrusion” into the ordinary work of churches and interfere with “legitimate expression of gender critical views”.
The Bill is set to be debated in the House of Commons on Friday 1 March – just three weeks after a similar Bill was strongly opposed in the House of Lords.
‘Disapproval’
Although Private Members’ Bills rarely become law, Russell-Moyle’s proposals could be used to influence the Government’s own plans for a draft Bill.
He wants to impose unlimited fines on those deemed to offer practices that intend to “change someone’s sexual orientation or to change a person to or from being transgender”.
His Bill does include exceptions for expressing “disapproval to an individual’s sexual orientation or transgender identity”, but this did not reassure top human rights lawyer Coppel.
Russell Moyle’s Bill: A pastor could be criminalised if a sermon on biblical sexual ethics was interpreted as attempting to prevent individuals from engaging in homosexual acts
‘Chilling effect’
Mr Coppel said this only confirms that “any action taken to seek to persuade another to abide by that belief or to sanction another for failing to abide by that belief is potentially criminal and, at the very least, creates significant uncertainty as to whether or not it is criminal (and so would be likely to have a ‘chilling effect’)”.
For example, a pastor could be criminalised if a sermon on biblical sexual ethics was interpreted as attempting to prevent individuals from engaging in homosexual acts.
In addition, attempts to protect parental responsibility – which Coppel warns “it is far from clear” work – do not extend to other close family members, meaning a grandparent could be barred from dissuading their grandchild from living as if they were the opposite sex.
House of Lords
Earlier this month, a number of Peers criticised another Private Member’s Bill that could criminalise ordinary Christians and loving parents.
The House of Lords was debating Baroness Burt of Solihull’s Private Member’s Bill, which seeks to outlaw attempts to “change” or “suppress a person’s expression of sexual orientation or gender identity”.
Coppel had previously warned that the Bill “is notably broad in scope” and would consequently “apply across the whole range of life; including in religious settings, social settings, and in the home”, even where “the person in question consents”.
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