The Spanish Evangelical Alliance (Alianza Evangélica Española/Aee) publicly denounced pastors and others for legislation to support those who wish to leave their homosexual lifestyles and to harmonize their gender identity with their gender.
With cross-party support, it was approved by a House of Representatives (June 24), General Cortez, of the Spanish Parliament of Madrid, to approve a provisional criminal law request.
“Congress is considering a bill to criminalize conversion therapy aimed at eliminating or rejecting sexual orientation, sexual identity, or sexual identity, gender identity, or gender identity,” according to a Congress press release, the amendment “punishes conversion therapy aimed at eliminating or rejecting sexual orientation, sexual identity or gender expression.”
The proposal of a major socialist group for prison advocates for so-called “conversion therapy” received an overwhelming 311 votes compared to 33 votes and one abstention.
“The group argues that in its descriptive memorandum of legislative texts it is necessary to raise a punitive response, not as it faces isolated cases but as it is one of the most serious forms of the LGTBI group, particularly because of the appearance of new forms of the prevalence of these self-style therapy.” “The bill similarly aims to “defend a world without criminalization of sexual orientation, sexual identity and gender expression.” ”
If the amendment is given final approval, the Criminal Code will introduce section 173 and incarcerates potentially incarcerated convertible therapy advocates.
The current wording of this amendment (translated) states, “Anyone who applies or practices on a person acts, methods, programs, techniques or procedures of aversion or conversion, whether psychological, physical, pharmaceutical or of any other nature, aimed at modifying, reflecting, eliminating or denying his sexual orientation, sexual identity or gender expression, shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to two years, with impairment of their bodily integrity or They have a serious impairment of physical or mental health, or moral integrity.”
A penalty is appropriate if the “victim” is a child, the conduct uses benefits, or “violence, intimidation, or deception,” or “where the offender belongs to an organization or association and is in the temporary nature of engaging in the performance of such activities.”
In addition, fines will also be administered to children and disabled persons who are in the “necessity for special protection” that promotes “perpetration of crimes.”
“In these cases, if a judge or court deems it appropriate for the benefit of a minor or person with a disability who requires special protection, it may also impose a special disqualification penalty from exercising the right to custody, guardianship, guardianship, or five years of care,” the Congress added.
If the proposed amendment of law is approved by the Congress, it will be sent to the Senate for approval.
However, the AEE pointed out that conversion therapy is already prohibited by state law. In its official five-point statement, the AAE board strongly condemned the plans by Spanish policymakers.
First, the Spanish evangelical body pointed to a recurring pattern by proponents of the proposed law.
“The pattern is repeated. The concept is distorted by first assigning light-jourish terms, such as projecting false images of “conversion therapy,” manipulation and torture handling, and ultimately impose penalties that threaten prison sentences,” the AEE Board said. “Torture and manipulation in professional treatments and personal help are already considered in criminal law and in the dentology code of physicians or psychologists, and there is no need to create new penalties.”
Additionally, the AEE revealed supportive treatments, including pastoral care, which help people restore “concordance” between biological sex and gender identification, as “has nothing to do with manipulation or torture.” Pastoral support in such a scenario has nothing to do with “conversion therapy.” Because no one is intended to convert, AEE claims.
“They want to give to those who want it freely and simply to help,” the AEE director pointed out. They mentioned that such treatments are “used in normalcy and safety” that is scientifically proven and helping to obtain parental permission with informed content or in the case of children.
The AEE director criticized the proposed law proposed for creating an imaginary scenario for “conversion therapy” as falsely projecting it as similar to the totalitarian regime’s anti-conversion law.
Spanish evangelical organizations also challenged the concept that gender is “a change in conditions that require strict respect for a person’s self-determination.”
“However, the truth is that the regulations to be established contradict this assumption by establishing that they go from congruence with gender to discord between both.
The AEE has questioned the rationality of such contradictions. “Regulations impose moral standards that define opposing weighting in the face of homologous circumstances. Some will be rewarded, promoted, others will be punished. This law.”
The third objection by the AEE questioned the criteria used to deny professional and personal support that was desired to “create an opposite path to what is sanctioned as ‘good’ by regulatory promoters.”
By ignoring the free decision to entitle such support, the Spanish evangelical body queried whether “severe respect” was demonstrated by law supporters.
“In a society that respects democratic freedom, all the support that translators grant to those who want to transition should be equally granted to those who want to reverse the transition,” the AEE director stressed, “Why not leave it to them to make their own freedom?”
A democratic society does not require moral guidance that stipulates what is right and what is wrong in situations like those quoted. It also requires demonization of “hereticism” with those who respect transitions and support the free resolve of those seeking professional or personal help.
The AEE predicted that once the bill becomes law, it would lead to conscientious objections as the only “legitimate and democratic replies” accordingly.
“We recall that when previous governments tried to restrict access to public health for immigrants, they raised the legitimacy of reliance on some doctors that they bravely relied on,” the alliance said.
Finally, the AEE board called on policymakers to take note of their objections and reverse planned legal changes.
“As a Spanish evangelical alliance, we reject the bill and call on lawmakers to vote with conscience because ideology should not govern, but we are respectful of the deepest and most cross-sectional sense of democratic respect for a person’s fundamental rights,” they said.
