Overwhelming opposition to Alliance Conversion Practices Bill - Cameron

DUP MLA Pam Cameron has said the Committee for Communities' consultation shows overwhelming opposition to the Conversion Practices (Criminalisation) Bill, with more than nine in ten respondents rejecting it.

Of the 1,379 responses to the Committee's survey, 93.55% opposed the Bill. Among individuals, 1,248 of 1,325 were against it. Of the 54 organisations that responded, 42 opposed it.

Mrs Cameron said: “These figures are stark. Over 1,300 people and organisations took the time to respond, and more than nine out of ten said no. That's not a narrow split. It's overwhelming opposition, and the Committee can't ignore it.

“The DUP has been clear from the outset that this Bill is the wrong approach, and the people who responded are firmly with us. No one is defending abusive or coercive practices. They're wrong, and where they cause harm the law should deal with them. But that's not what this Bill does.

“The people who would have to prosecute this law appear to be telling us the harm threshold could be met by distress alone, with no need to show intent to cause harm and no objective test. Their evidence seems to warn that terms like 'coaching' and 'instruction' could reach into family homes, churches and pastoral settings, and that ordinary parental responsibility could be caught.

“Meanwhile, ten health bodies were asked whether they'd ever received a complaint about conversion therapy. Nine said no or they had no record. The tenth reported fewer than five and found no concerns about the treatment provided.

“So we have a Bill the public overwhelmingly rejects, drafting the prosecuting authority says needs work, and little evidence of the problem it claims to solve. Parents, ministers and clinicians deserve better. This Bill should not proceed and the Alliance Party should listen to the public."