State Council warns ban on ‘gay conversion’ therapy would violate rights
A blanket ban on so-called homosexual conversion therapy would violate the constitutional right to religious freedom, the State Council said in its opinion.
A coalition of six parties elected from the cabinet and opposition parties submit a bill to parliament last February First-time offenders face fines of up to €22,500 or imprisonment for one year.
MPs said the move was designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from the effects of treatment.
The State Council reviews all proposed laws before they are enacted to ensure they are compatible with existing laws and legally sound. Said he understood the reasons behind the banbut treatment was often within a strict Christian community.
He also questioned how the law should distinguish between those who were forced to undergo conversion therapy and those who voluntarily received it.
The council said prohibiting the provision of treatment risks being ineffective because practitioners simply describe their treatment differently. Already covered by laws against compulsory medical interventions.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2023/01/council-of-state-warns-ban-on-gay-conversion-therapy-would-breach-rights/ State Council warns ban on ‘gay conversion’ therapy would violate rights