“Dropping the ban on so-called conversion therapy would be yet another broken promise from the Conservatives and a betrayal of those at risk of these abusive practices”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY DREAMSTIME
In disheartening news reported by The Times earlier this week, it appears that Rishi Sunak will halt plans to ban so-called conversion “therapy”. Despite the Conservatives promising a ban for the last five years, it seems as though the government will not be going ahead with creating the legislation needed to bring this ban into place.
According to The Times’ report, this decision was made after ministers claimed that a ban has proven “problematic or ineffective in other countries”. Instead of creating the promised legislation, it has been reported that the government will look to signpost existing laws which make certain aspects of conversion “therapy” illegal.
This news has been met with several MPs calling for the Conservative Party to honour the promises Theresa May made five years ago.
Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Women and equalities minister, took to Twitter and said: “Yet another broken promise from the Conservatives and a betrayal of those at risk of this abuse. This zombie government is out of ideas and lacks the political will to deliver any meaningful change.”
She continued and said that “Labour would ban conversion therapy in full”.
Stonewall has been campaigning across the summer holiday for Sunak’s government to address the conversion “therapy” ban to no avail. This harmful practice – where attempts are made to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity – has no place in our society and yet the government has refused to make any clear legislative measures to ban it.
Tory MP Caroline Nokes, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, told PinkNews: “I can only assume the government is reneging on previous commitments to the LGBTQIA community.”
She continued: “Dropping the ban on so-called conversion therapy would be yet another broken promise from the Conservatives and a betrayal of those at risk of these abusive practices.”
“The risible failure to outlaw this abuse shows this zombie government is completely out of ideas, and lacks the political will to deliver any meaningful change whatsoever.”
Stonewall has since responded to the government’s claim that banning conversion “therapy” has been “problematic” in other countries. The charity tweeted: “Over a dozen countries around the world have successfully passed legislation to ban conversion therapy. NONE of those countries’ governments have reported their legislation as ineffective. The decision to end abuse, it seems, is only difficult for the UK gov. Why is that?”
Stonewall recently launched a campaign which sent Rishi Sunak’s government over 2,000 postcards to protest delays in the conversion “therapy” ban.
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