Dublin South West TD, Seán Crowe, has welcomed the passing of the Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018 through Second Stage in the Seanad and commended his Sinn Féin colleague, Senator Fintan Warfield, for drafting the legislation.

The Bill seeks to ban the use of bogus and so-called conversion therapies that seek to somehow change the sexual orientation of an individual.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“This legislation not only bans the deceptive and discredited practice of LGBTQI conversion therapy, but it sends a message from legislators that we consider sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to be inherent to an individual and as such, cannot be ‘changed’ or somehow miraculously ‘converted’. The sooner we ban the practice of these quacks and snake oil salesmen the better.

“Brazil, Malta and Ecuador are the only other countries in the world to have enacted nationwide bans on a practice that has been discredited by worldwide by institutions such as the UN Committee against Torture, the European Parliament and by the Irish Council for Psychotherapy.

“I want to welcome the unanimous support in the Seanad that has allowed the passing of this Bill at Second Stage and commend my party colleague Senator Fintan Warfield for drafting this forward looking legislation. The passing of this legislation through all stages of the Oireachtas will send a strong positive message to our LGBTQI community both here and worldwide that we value them and celebrate their individual identities.”

ENDS