UK Parliamentary Committee Reviews Proposed Conversion Practices Bill

A parliamentary committee is currently reviewing a draft Conversion Practices Bill, which aims to criminalize actions intended to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. If enacted, the legislation could result in prison sentences of up to five years for those found guilty of pressuring others to alter their identity.

During oral evidence, LGBT campaigner Jayne Ozanne argued that the proposed law should explicitly criminalize prayer, describing it as an "insidious" form of conversion practice. Ozanne suggested that even private prayer within families or with religious leaders should be subject to legal prohibition. However, the proposal has faced significant criticism from legal experts. A report by the Policy Exchange think tank, co-authored by human rights lawyer Akua Reindorf KC and Baroness Kishwer Falkner, characterized the bill as "ideological, unworkable and wholly unsuitable," warning that it poses a threat to fundamental freedoms.