A British archbishop has expressed “serious concern” about a draft bill that seeks to ban “conversion practices” that is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny before it is discussed in the UK Parliament.
Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, and chair of the Department for Social Justice for the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, said the Draft Conversion Practices Bill “is very broad in its scope” and could lead to infringements against freedom of religion or belief.
“The bill defines ‘conversion practices’ as conduct towards someone which intends to make a person have, or not have, a particular sexual orientation or transgender identity, or make them believe they have or do not have such an identity,” Sherrington said.
“A ‘conversion practice’ will be defined in law to be ‘abusive’ if the practice causes either serious harm to a person’s physical or mental health, or serious alarm or distress that substantially affects the person’s day-to-day life. Such abusive practices will be offenses in law,” he added.
Sherrington’s concern is that the expansion of the definition of abuse could have serious consequences for the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom.
“This bill proposes to extend the legal definition of abusive practices in ways that threaten a person’s fundamental rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression,” he said.
“The legislation will also create uncertainty around lawful pastoral care by the Church, family life and open conversations that can take place in a range of social settings,” he added.
Sherrington said the bill could potentially lead to parents falling foul of the law.
“There are clearly a range of scenarios under this proposed legislation in which legal action of various types may be taken against individuals or organizations, including parents of children, who express well-informed opinions and make well-intentioned statements,” Sherrington stated.
“We are concerned that this legislation will challenge the Church’s ability to fulfill its calling to ‘proclaim an authentic understanding of the human person with clarity, simplicity, love and respect.’ People of faith must remain free to express their beliefs through speech and prayer,” he added.
Labour MP Mary Glindon, writing for politics.co.uk, expressed similar concerns to Sherrington.
“Children do not always welcome the advice their parents give them, but that does not make the advice abusive,” she wrote.
“Parents must be able to discuss their children’s feelings, ask questions and express concerns, including when a child is questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity,” she added.
“There is no contradiction between wanting to protect LGBT people from abuse and wanting to protect parents, churches and professionals who provide genuine support. Indeed, both should be part of the same commitment to inclusion and to individual welfare that this government upholds,” she concluded.
Sherrington also made it clear that the church stands against abuse in all its forms and understands why the government wants to protect people.
“The Catholic Church opposes abuse in all circumstances and so, we recognize that it is important for Governments to use appropriate legislation to protect people from harm and abuse. Current legislation, however, already covers such abusive practices and makes them illegal,” he said.
“We call on politicians to abandon this bill and focus instead on enforcement of existing protections and accessible support for anyone facing abuse or coercion,” he finished by saying.
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