Alliance Party says NI should copy doomed Scottish conversion therapy plans

The Alliance Party has launched a private consultation into its plans on ‘conversion therapy’.

Upper Bann MLA Eoin Tennyson, who is Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party, announced that he was proposing a Private Member’s Bill on the issue, despite concerns it could criminalise innocent people for rejecting LGBT ideology.

In a bizarre twist, Tennyson has proposed that Northern Ireland adopt plans that were abandoned by the Scottish Government over fears they would face legal challenge. A graphic on the Alliance proposal documents shows how the plans have been virtually copy-and-pasted in.

When these Scottish proposals were put to consultation, news outlets ran front-page headlines saying “Parents who refuse children gender change face seven years in jail in Scotland”. Others noted opposition from Christian groups amid legal advice that upholding biblical teaching would be caught.

Let Us Pray’s James Kennedy gave the following comment to the NI press:

“Thankfully, abusive practices are already outlawed in Northern Ireland. Christians oppose verbal and physical abuse. And yet we would be at risk from the Alliance proposals if we seek to offer pastoral care and prayer that accords with the Bible’s teaching.

“Whenever proposals are put forward on ‘conversion therapy’, whether in Northern Ireland or further afield, they inevitably cover innocent activity like parenting and the ordinary work of churches, including prayer and pastoral care.

“Near-identical proposals were offered by the Scottish Government, and it was not only Christians who feared they were at risk of being unjustly prosecuted. LGB groups, teachers, lawyers and concerned parents all raised serious objections. Almost every newspaper pointed out that a law like this would criminalise innocent people who merely refused to go along with LGBTQI+ ideology.

“Mr Tennyson has copied the threshold from the Scottish plans. The broad definition of ‘harm’ would mean a parent could be prosecuted when they discourage their child from gender transition or sexual experimentation. Even saying “you might regret it” could be seen as causing fear and thus be illegal.

“It is no surprise the Scottish Government were swift to abandon the plans out of fear they would face judicial review. With parents facing seven-year jail sentences, and pastors unable to pray with church members or encourage repentance , of course the Scottish Government was at risk of losing a legal battle on a new law.

“There will be an uphill battle for anyone claiming there is a need for this law. Research has repeatedly failed to show any gaps in the law. The Department for Communities even paid the Rainbow Project to provide it with case studies, but the academics drafted in to help quickly ran out of interview subjects. Not one case they reported suggested there is a need to change the law.

“Northern Ireland’s politicians must learn from the Scottish experience. The plans proposed by Mr Tennyson were abandoned by what many consider one of the most ‘progressive’ legislatures the UK has ever seen. Does anyone really think they are fit for purpose here?”

In June, MLAs debated and passed a motion calling for a conversion therapy law. The likelihood of the ordinary work of churches being caught by such legislation was repeatedly raised. The motion was opposed by the DUP and TUV, while UUP members abstained.

An amendment proposed by a DUP member stated that: “where an individual voluntarily wishes and actively seeks prayerful and pastoral support, this should not be withheld from them, and as such this does not constitute a conversion practice”. It also called for the Minister to “ensure legal safeguards are in place to protect freedom of religion and freedom of speech”.

That amendment was supported by DUP, TUV and several UUP members, but didn’t have the numbers to pass amidst opposition from Alliance, SDLP and Sinn Fein.

Previously, the topic has been under consideration by Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities, which said last June that it hoped to take advice and consult on ‘conversion therapy’. It is unlikely Alliance can bring its own Bill if the Department is continuing that work.