The Government must move beyond words of support this Pride by taking action to ban conversion practices, according to Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice.
Deputy Rice, who is a longtime advocate and campaigner for LGBTQIA+ rights, said:
“Conversion ‘therapy’ describes a range a practices which aim to change or supress an individual’s sexual orientation or gender ideology.
“A ban on conversion practices has been promised since 2020, having been committed to in the 2020 and 2025 Programmes for Government.
“Eight EU member states have already banned conversion practices – Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain. And just this week, the UK Government published a draft bill to outlaw conversion practices in England and Wales.
“In 2024, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, the Psychological Society of Ireland and Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy renounced conversion therapy, saying it has no place in a modern, progressive society and describing it as ‘unethical, potentially harmful and not supported by evidence’.
“There needs to be an immediate ban on these dangerous and discredited practices. The LGBTQIA+ community don’t need a cure – they need a Government willing to take action to progress their rights.
“In May, Ireland was again ranked 14th in Europe for its laws and policies affecting LGBTQIA+ people. This shows that progress has utterly stalled under this Government.
“We still have the worst trans healthcare in Europe and there are still significant gaps in family laws and assisted human reproduction. There is almost no chance that Ireland’s commitment to end HIV transmission by 2030 will be met. Gender recognition for those who are non-binary still hasn’t been delivered, while intersex people are completely overlooked by this Government, which still allows infant genital mutilation on intersex children.
“This Pride, we need Government ministers to do more than turn up at Pride and stick a flag outside their department. We need them to act.”
Meanwhile, Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara, an accredited psychotherapist with the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), recently brought a motion before Limerick City & County Council calling on Minister Norma Foley to give an update on the progression of a national ban on conversion therapy. The motion, which was seconded by his party colleague Cllr Elisa O’Donovan, passed with full cross-party support.
Cllr Hickey-O’Mara said:
“As it stands, anyone can put a sign on their door claiming to be a therapist and, in so doing, can manipulate, extort and shame a person into burying part of themselves. These people corrupt my profession, twisting it into the antithesis of what therapy is designed to be: an affirmative and validating process built on trust and care.
“We need to ensure that this legislation is passed within the lifetime of this Government.”
June 26, 2026