Conversion bill: churches fear state overreach on religion
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Most Victorian churches are intensely concerned about legislation the state government is rushing through Parliament without consultation to ban so-called conversion therapy to change sexual orientation. It is not that the churches practise or defend any form of coercive conversion therapy; the problem is the massive overreach of the bill and the State arrogating to itself wide control over the religious beliefs and practices of religious believers.
Many Victorian churches are concerned about the conversion bill.
Victorian Conversion Therapy Bill Passes Legislative Assembly, to Be Debated Next Year
Victorian state lawmakers will resume debate next year on the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill that was passed by the Victorian Legislative Assembly on Dec. 10.
Meanwhile, an amendment to pause the bill put forward by the opposition Liberal Party before Parliament closed for the year failed. All 55 MPs in the chamber voted in favour for the bill, while members of the opposition were not present.
Speaking in Parliament on Dec. 8, Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews criticised religious leaders who did not support the bill and said the bill will instead “save lives.”
Credit: Guillaume Paumier via Flickr, filter added (CC BY 2.0).
CNA Staff, Dec 10, 2020 / 08:11 pm (CNA).- A bill seeking to ban so-called conversion therapy for sexual orientation or gender identity in the Australian state of Victoria dangerously oversteps the bounds of protecting people from coercive practices, the Archbishop of Melbourne said.
“I encourage every action to protect people from harm. A bill that protected people would have my full support,” Archbishop Peter Comensoli said in a statement.
“The problem is this bill doesn’t merely do what it claims. It targets prayer, and appears to impose silence on people of faith from sharing their beliefs in an open, honest and faithful way. The bill imposes on the right of parents and children to speak plainly and honestly with one another. It robs adults from seeking whatever guidance and pastoral support they seek concerning deeply personal matters,” he said.
Victoria is a step closer to banning gay conversion therapy – including prayer-based practices to change LGBTI people – after 55 MPs voted in favour of the bill this week, while the opposition were not present.
Premier Daniel Andrews described the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill as life-changing, however he has been accused of “over-reach” and the bill is viewed by church groups as a threat to religious freedom.
A statement by Archbishop Makarios on Tuesday expressed “grave disquiet” concerning the bill which criminalises gay conversion practices.
“While the Orthodox Church extends its loving embrace around all, in an effort to protect the vulnerable from coercion, the proposed Bill appears to extend too far towards the opposite extreme, specifically and without properly defining its parametres, criminalising prayer for one another, which is at the heart of Orthodox spirituality,” he said.
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Victoria is one step closer to banning gay conversion therapy after a majority of lower house MPs voted in favour of the legislation.
The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill passed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the final parliamentary sitting day of the year.
All 55 MPs in the chamber voted in favour of the bill, with the opposition abstaining.
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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews hailed the bill as life-changing. Every person has the right to be proud of who they are and who they love, and should never be required to hide away, let alone apologise for their identity,” he said.