Irish Senator Argues That Conversion Therapy Should Be an “Individual Choice”

Rónán Mullen, a conservative Irish senator, has made comments in the Seanad (Ireland’s Upper House in Parliament) that conversion therapy should be choice made by the individual.

He said conversion therapy “is an area, I think, that many people are afraid to wade into,” and that he believes people should be able to take part in it “provided it doesn’t do harm.”

He admitted he had done limited research on the subject, but felt entitled to comment about it regardless: “I don’t know enough about it at this stage, but if it can be demonstrably shown that this is harmful to people, then there is a very good case to make it unlawful.

“If it cannot be shown to be harmful to people then you’re back into the realm of individual choice.

“I say this because I don’t think we talk enough in these houses about the importance of an evidence base for what is proposed. I would hope that whether it’s in relation to this area, or indeed the very fraught and difficult area of transgender persons and their rights and needs, that we would look honestly at what the current evidence base is.

“A lot of parents I know are quite concerned at what’s being taught in schools now in the name of equality in relation to the transgender issues, and they question whether children’s best interests are being served by what is now often proposed.”

Mullen is a prominent conservative politician who was one of the leaders in the argument against same-sex marriage during the country’s 2015 referendum.

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