A recent poll conducted by Whitestone for The Christian Institute found that more than half of British adults initially supported a ban on conversion therapy. However, that support collapsed once respondents were presented with realistic scenarios of how the law could be applied.
The survey, which included 4,201 adults, began with a question about a potential ban on conversion practices. At first, 51 % of respondents said they would back the measure. When pollsters then outlined 15 possible situations in which the ban could criminalise ordinary behaviour—such as a father praying with his son to curb pornography use, a minister advising a man not to leave his wife for another man, or a same‑sex attracted person being urged to remain celibate—support fell sharply to just 3 %.
Labour voters, who initially showed a 57 % endorsement, saw their support drop to 4 % after the scenarios were explained. The poll also highlighted that some situations were less objectionable; for instance, 40 % of Labour voters found no issue with a minister being penalised for advising a man not to leave his wife for another man.
Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, warned that the public’s lack of understanding could allow the ban to be used as a tool to criminalise ordinary parents and preachers. “Before Parliament creates new criminal offences, ministers need to be honest with the public about what those offences could actually cover,” Calvert said. “This poll shows that when people are faced with the potential consequences, support for a conversion practices law collapses.”
Source: Christian Today
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Editorial note: This is an original news report prepared from the attributed source material with AI assistance. It is not a reproduction or translation of the original article.
