Irish Labour demands ‘trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban’

The Irish Labour Party has filed a motion in the Dáil calling for radical trans healthcare across Ireland.

In addition to demands for increased access to sex-change surgery and gender-affirming care to be provided by GPs, the party is calling for ‘a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy’. The party holds eleven of the 174 seats in the Dáil.

The motion echoes the views of campaign group Trans Healthcare Action, which advocates for an affirmation-only approach to young people questioning their gender.

In an article for Gay Community News, the organisation claims that: “current legislation simply does not do enough to protect trans people, our health, or our well-being”.

But this is simply not true. Gay and trans people are already protected under the existing legal framework. Just because there isn’t a law that uses the term ‘conversion therapy’ doesn’t mean verbal and physical abuse can legally take place. To suggest otherwise is dangerous and wrong. Thankfully, the sorts of horrendous experiments of the past like electro-shock ‘treatments’ have long since stopped.

This begs the question: what is left to outlaw? And herein lies the issue.

Campaigners shift from talking about verbal and physical abuse. They now say that new legislation is needed to tackle parental guidance, medical advice and mainstream expressions of Christian belief that do not conform to LGBT thinking–since such ideas are ‘harmful’ to LGBT people.

Such an egregious incursion into freedom of speech and religion would see parents, teachers, medical practitioners and church leaders criminalised for urging caution with gender-confused young people.

During a debate last week on Pride, a number of TDs pressed the Government to make progress on its promise to introduce legislation. However, it’s not a lack of political will that has seen the Irish Government spend years going around in circles on this issue.

In July last year, after failing to deliver on his commitment to pass a conversion therapy Bill (the original target being by the end of 2023), former Equalities Minister Roderic O’Gorman was forced to admit that it was proving to be “extremely complex” and “tricky in terms of getting those clear legal definitions”.

And he’s not alone in pointing out problems with coming up with a workable definition. Clinical lead at the National Gender Service, Dr Karl Neff, has spoken of the dangers of a vague definition for medical practitioners talking to gender-confused young people.

So despite the Irish Government’s recent claim that a conversion therapy law is ‘deliverable’, it’s clear that drafting a legally-tight, trans-inclusive ban is proving impossible.

If the Government is serious about helping real victims of abuse then it needs to focus on enforcing existing law, and stop pursuing legislation that is fraught with risks for ordinary people.