The medical world rejects therapies that want to make heterosexuals out of people who are of the same sex. On Monday, the National Council will first debate a ban.
Sexual orientation cannot be “reversed” therapeutically. But in conservative Christian circles, this belief still has followers.
In the free church milieu and in conservative Christian circles, the idea that homosexuality is curable is popular. In the Bible, it is known to be portrayed as a sin. Accordingly, members of such groups often fall into a crisis when they feel that they are attracted to the same sex. Self-appointed therapists who want to “change the polarity” of homosexuals then promise help.
The Association of Swiss Psychotherapists condemns such conversion therapies as unethical and harmful to health. Homosexuality is no longer considered a disease. In 1990, the WHO removed same-sex love from the list of diseases. Such polarity reversal attempts have been banned in Germany, France, Israel and Greece in recent years. In Switzerland, too, the professional associations of psychiatry and psychology are calling for a ban. You speak of ideological or religious indoctrination.
Commission majority for ban
A Switzerland-wide ban on such practices will be up for debate in the National Council on Monday, December 5th. The Commission for Legal Questions brought the subject up with a motion. However, the Commission has formulated two restrictions: On the one hand, the ban should only apply to therapies for minors and young adults. On the other hand, open-ended debates about one’s own sexual orientation or gender identity are not included. This means: gender reassignments should continue to be allowed, as well as related therapies.
The majority of the preliminary advisory National Council Commission has already spoken out in favor of the proposed ban. Only the representatives of the SVP voted against it.
However, the Federal Council is also against a ban, at least for the time being. His objection: First, the federal government’s legislative powers in this area would have to be examined. In fact, parliamentary motions for a ban have already been submitted in various cantons (Zurich, Geneva, both Basel, Solothurn, Schwyz and Vaud). The Federal Council is now examining the need for a Swiss-wide legal regulation. Parliament should wait for this report before making a decision, the government proposes to the National Council.
Haven for «gay healers»
Meanwhile warn LGBTQ representatives afraid that Switzerland could become a haven for “gay healers” if it were to refrain from a ban. You refer to the German one “Brotherhood of the Way”a group of homosexual Christian men who recently founded a Association based in Switzerland founded. The organization had previously been based in Tamm, Swabia. The fraternity grew out of an organization known for conversion therapies. She feels discriminated against by the new law in Germany, although she claims not to offer such healings.