The Scottish Government has scrapped plans to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ [1] amid fears of it leading to a draconian crackdown on parents and medical professionals.
It was suggested by critics that anything that was not “affirming” of a child’s claim to be transgender would be criminalised.
A consultation earlier this year made clear that parents could have been prosecuted under the ban.
Concerns were also raised that therapists who seek to investigate underlying reasons for a child’s gender dysphoria could be accused of “conversion” practices.
The Scottish plans had proposed those found guilty of the offence would face up to seven years in jail. While it was stated that “harm” would have to be caused to a victim, “distress” would be enough to meet the threshold.