LONDON, June 25 – Britain on Thursday set out plans to criminalise abusive and harmful therapies intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Government publishes draft Conversion Practices Bill for England and Wales, banning so-called ‘conversion therapies’.
• Offenders carrying out such practices could face an unlimited fine and/or up to five years in prison.
• Bill would also criminalise encouraging or assisting conversion therapies carried out outside England and Wales.
• Britain pledged to ban conversion practices in 2021, with a further commitment in January 2023.
• Measures in the draft bill would also create civil protections similar to those for forced marriage and female genital mutilation to protect those at risk of abuse.
• The legislation includes exemptions for what was described as legitimate healthcare, allowing therapists and counsellors to continue open conversations about sexuality and identity.
• The proposed bill will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny before being introduced to parliament for further debate. REUTERS
