Senator called to retract comments on gay conversion therapy
Senator Rónán Mullen is being called on to withdraw remarks in which he questioned if conversion therapy should be allowed.
After Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield described it as "cruel" in the Seanad yesterday, Senator Mullen replied:
If it cannot be shown to be harmful to people, we are back into the realm of individual choice.
However, he added: "I do not know enough about it at this stage but if it can be demonstrated that this is harmful to people, there is a very good case to make it unlawful."
Doctor Mary McAuliffe, an Assistant Professor in Gender Studies, says conversion therapy is disturbing and dangerous:
"Somebody like Senator Mullen mentioning that in the Seanad implies that people who are LGBT have some sort of disorder that needs to be corrected rather than people who happen to be that way.
"I think that is a disturbing and dangerous route to go down," she added.
Meanwhile, Google has bowed to pressure to remove an app accused of promoting gay conversion therapy, months after Apple, Amazon and Microsoft took action.
The Living Hope Ministries app, made by an American Christian group, offered a number of guides that claim to help “sexually broken guys” by building a “deeper relationship with God” through prayer.
