New Zealand Passes Law Banning Conversion Therapy, Receives Support From Lawmakers

New Zealand authorities have passed a bill that would ban conversion therapy in the country, a proposal that only eight National MPs opposed.

The conversion therapy process involves a "professional's" attempts to dissuade an individual from their sexual orientation or gender despite there being no scientific evidence. Furthermore, there is no proof that a person's sexual orientation or gender caused harm.

Overwhelming Political Support

In a statement to the House during the third reading, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said that the legislation was making rights wrong. The lawmaker said that banning conversion therapy corrected a "hurtful, insidious, destructive wrong."

Furthermore, Robertson said it sent a message of love, support, and affirmation to all people included in the rainbow communities. The deputy prime minister then shared his experience growing up gay in a religious household.

He said that he heard many negative messages at a time when he was grappling with his sexuality. Robertson noted that he faced the challenge of feeling different from everyone around him, even his family, as per RNZ News.

Authorities unanimously voted in support of the legislation on Tuesday inside New Zealand's parliament. Officials introduced the bill last year and received 112 votes in favor, prompting Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi to call it a "great day" for the country's rainbow communities. He also argued that there was no place for conversion practices in modern New Zealand.

The legislation also detailed what was not considered to be conversion practice. It will protect the right of a person to express their opinion, belief, religious belief, or principle, which is not intended to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

US News reported that New Zealand's federal government said that it had received 107,000 public submissions on the bill, which is the highest number of public submissions ever received by any legislation in the country's history.

Banning Conversion Therapy

Authorities have argued that conversion therapy, on top of not being effective in changing an individual's sexual orientation or identity, was harmful to patients and was widely discredited. The legislation will make it an offense to perform conversion practices on a child or young person under 18 years old or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. These types of offenses could give up to three years of imprisonment.

Furthermore, the legislation will make it illegal to perform conversion practices on any person regardless of their age where the practices caused serious harm. This type cites that offenders can be subject to up to five years of imprisonment.

In modern times, laws that ban practices such as conversion therapy have gained momentum worldwide. Last year, Canada's parliament unanimously voted to support banning LGBT conversion therapy.

While the United States as a whole does not have a federal ban on conversion therapy, there are some states, including California, Colorado, New York, Washington, and Utah, that ban the practice to some degree.

The conversion therapy process includes talk therapy, hypnosis, electric shocks, and fasting, while some severe cases can include exorcism and "corrective rape" for lesbians. The end of conversion therapy has been one of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's campaign promises when she got re-elected for a second term last year, Reuters reported.