No 'carve-outs' for parents in conversion practices bill

Olivia Bailey, the minister for equalities, has said that there will be no exemptions for parents in the government’s bill banning ‘abusive conversion practices’.

Published at the end of last month, the draft Conversion Practices Bill categorises conduct that questions a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity in a coercive or controlling manner as an ‘abusive conversion practice’. Such action that causes serious harm, alarm, or distress can be considered a criminal offence and may lead to imprisonment of up to five years.

CARE has noted that someone hearing a sermon in a church on human sexuality which they disagreed with could cause them distress and therefore come under the terms of this proposed bill. Parents who talk to their children about gender or sexuality, and who do not agree with decisions they have taken, could also be liable for prosecution.

Speaking to ‘The House’ magazine, Olivia Bailey said: “This is about abuse; it is about a very specific form of abuse. It is not about policing opinions, it is not about policing how parents parent, and it is for the courts to determine, not politicians, but – rightly – for the courts to determine what meets that threshold of abuse.”

However, when asked if she expects any parents to go to prison a result of this legislation, she said: “I think that anybody committing abuse, no matter where you find it, no matter in what walk of life – there are not carve-outs for abuse by parents in any other legal environment.”

The Conversion Practices Bill is currently in draft and is expected to go through a number of stages before potentially being introduced in the House of Commons. The timetable for this work has yet to be announced.