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Conversion therapy (Ireland)

Publication

Conversion therapy (Ireland)
  • June 2026

The Government (in Ireland) has pledged to ban so-called conversion therapy before the end of 2026.

But a law that bans conversion therapy could restrict the ordinary work of churches, including prayer, pastoral care and preaching. It could also criminalise Christian parents who are seeking to bring up their children in the faith. In fact, any Christian activity that upholds the Bible’s teaching on sexual ethics could be at risk.

Similar laws in Australia have made “not affirming someone’s gender identity” illegal, as well as encouraging someone to practise celibacy.

‘Conversion therapy’ is a deliberately broad term chosen by LGBT campaigners, covering an extraordinarily wide range of activities. There may be quack therapists and others who exploit people and use abusive practices, but verbal and physical abuse are already against the law.

What activists really want is to use the criminal law to force churches and families to endorse LGBT ideology by limiting prayer and teaching on ‘Christian conversion’.

References

References

  1. 1 National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II Action Plan 2025-2026, Government of Ireland, page 21
  2. 2 ‘Have you experienced a change or suppression practice?’, Victoria Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, see https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/change-or-suppression-practices/have-you-experienced-a-change-or-suppression-practice/ as at 8 May 2026
  3. 3 Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018
  4. 4 Seanad Éireann, Official Report, 2 May 2018, page 718
  5. 5 The Irish Times online, 12 July 2024, see https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2024/07/12/legislation-banning-conversion-therapy-unlikely-in-governments-lifetime/ as at 21 April 2024
  6. 6 Keogh, B, Carr, C, Doyle, L et al, “An Exploration of Conversion Therapy Practices in Ireland” School of Nursing and Midwifery ,Trinity College Dublin, 2023, page 3
  7. 7 Ibid, pages 13, 36 and 50
  8. 8 Ibid, pages 5 and 71
  9. 9 Ibid, page 36
  10. 10 Irish Daily Mail online, 1 May 2021, see https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/irish-daily-mail/20210501/282076279728524 as at 8 May 2026
  11. 11 ‘Saving Psychotherapy from Conversion Therapy Bans’, Genspect, 28 February 2023, see https://genspect.org/saving-psychotherapy-from-conversion-therapy-bans/ as at 8 May 2026
  12. 12 Human Rights Implications of Proposals to Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’ - Advice, Jason Coppel KC, April 2021 (available at https://christian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Christian%20Institute%20Conversion%20Therapy%20Advice%20-%20updated.pdf as at 6 July 2023)
  13. 13 Ibid, paras 21 and 35
  14. 14 Ibid, para. 43
  15. 15 ‘Proposed conversion practices legislation “is too broad”’, Law Society of Scotland, 3 April 2024, see https://www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/law-society-news/proposed-conversion-practices-legislation-is-too-broad/ as at 4 June 2026; Roddy Dunlop KC post on X, 17 January 2024, see https://x.com/RoddyQC/status/1747537019138379987 as at 4 June 2026; The Christian Institute re the Scottish Government consultation on its proposals for the Scottish Parliament to legislate with a view to bringing to an end in Scotland “Conversion Practices” ‘related to individuals’ “sexual orientation” and separately to their “gender identity”, Aidan O’Neill KC, February 2024, para. 5.11 (available at https://www.christian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Aidan-O-Neill-KC-Conversion-practices-opinion-February-2024-highlights.pdf as at 4 June 2026)
  16. 16 Förstärkt skydd för den personliga integriteten, Statens Offentliga Utredningar, 2023, page 157 (machine translated by Google
  17. 17 Förstärkt skydd för den personliga integriteten, Statens Offentliga Utredningar, 2023, page 325 (machine translated by Google
  18. 18 Stonewall Scotland, LGBT sector submission to call for views on conversion therapy petition, August 2021, see https://web.archive.org/web/20240520120205/https://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/lgbt_sector_submission_to_call_for_views_on_conversion_therapy_petition.pdf as at 8 May 2026; Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee (Scotland), Official Report, 2 November 2021, col. 24; Alicia Kearns MP speaking on BBC Radio 4, Faith, Lies and Conversion Therapy, 9 March 2021, see https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sz1y as at 27 July 2023
  19. 19 Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021, Section 5 (Victoria)
  20. 20 Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021, Part 2 (Victoria); Maximum Penalties, Sentencing Advisory Council, see https://www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au/about-sentencing/maximum-penalties as at 4 June 2026
  21. 21 Victoria’s Conversion Practices Act is a genuine assault on religious freedom’, Murray Campbell blog, 30 September 2021, see https://murraycampbell.net/2021/09/30/victorias-conversion-practices-act-is-a-genuine-assault-on-religious-freedom/ as at 8 May 2026
  22. 22 ‘Have you experienced a change or suppression practice?’, Victoria Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, see https://www.humanrights.vic.gov.au/change-or-suppression-practices/have-you-experienced-a-change-or-suppression-practice/ as at 8 May 2026
  23. 23 ‘Frequently asked questions’, Anti-Discrimination New South Wales, see https://antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au/discrimination/conversion-practices/frequently-asked-questions.html as at 8 May 2026
  24. 24 ‘LGBTQA conversion practices: Explainer videos’, Anti-Discrimination New South Wales, see https://antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au/discrimination/conversion-practices.html as at 8 May 2026
  25. 25 Loc cit

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