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The European Parliament has voted in favour of banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ across the EU, marking a significant step towards outlawing the harmful practices in all member states.
The vote took place on Wednesday, April 29, when 405 out of 630 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) backed a citizen-led initiative calling “for a legal act establishing an EU ban on conversion practices in all Member States.”
While not legally binding, the vote is seen as a strong political signal to the European Commission, which must decide on whether to ban conversion practices across the bloc. The Commission, which is the only EU institution able to propose binding legislation, is expected to respond to the call on May 18 this year.
The European Parliament’s vote comes after a campaign launched in 2023 by the European Association Against Conversion Therapy (ACT), which gathered over 1.2 million signatures from EU citizens calling for the ban. The initiative was also backed by more than 300 NGOs across the bloc.
Welcoming the vote on Wednesday, ACT said it represented “a big victory for the LGBTI+ community in Europe.”
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Conversion therapy refers to the dangerous practices that seek to “change” the gender identity or sexual orientation of individuals and may include prayer sessions, counselling, exorcisms, beatings, humiliation, fasting and more. It has been widely debunked and rejected by a large number of psychological and psychiatric organisations, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the European Psychiatric Association.
Around 5% of LGBTQ+ people in Europe have reportedly been offered conversion therapy, while 2% have undergone it, according to a 2024 briefing by the European Parliament. Experts have said that the true figures are likely to be much higher.
Several EU member states, including Malta, Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Cyprus and Portugal, have already introduced bans on conversion therapy. In Ireland, there is currently no law prohibiting such practices, despite widespread calls and condemnation from healthcare bodies and advocacy groups.
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