The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has asked Parliament to drop the Draft Conversion Practices Bill. Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, who chairs the conference's Department for Social Justice, issued a statement on the draft bill, which has been shared with Parliament to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. He said he wanted to express serious concern about its provisions, and he called the bill very broad in its scope.
Sherrington's statement sets out what the bill would do. It defines "conversion practices" as conduct toward someone that 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. A practice would be defined in law as "abusive" if it causes 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 would become offences in law.
The archbishop said the Catholic Church opposes abuse in all circumstances and recognises that governments should use appropriate legislation to protect people from harm. But current legislation, he said, already covers such abusive practices and makes them illegal. The bill, in his view, extends the legal definition of abuse in ways that threaten fundamental rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. He said it would also create uncertainty around lawful pastoral care by the Church, family life and open conversations in a range of social settings.
Sherrington warned that there are a range of scenarios under the proposed law in which legal action of various types could be taken against individuals or organisations, including parents of children, who express well-informed opinions and make well-intentioned statements. He said the bishops are concerned the law will challenge the Church's ability to fulfil its calling to "proclaim an authentic understanding of the human person with clarity, simplicity, love and respect." People of faith, he said, must remain free to express their beliefs through speech and prayer.
"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 said. Catholic News World carried the same statement. For Christians who counsel, pray with and care for people in trouble, how a law like this is written matters a great deal. Colossians 4:6 is a good verse to carry into those conversations.
Read Colossians 4:6
