Archbishop Prowse raises deep concerns about Sexuality and Gender Identity Conversion Practices Bill
Archbishop’s Office
GPO Box 89
Canberra ACT 2601
Dear Mr Barr,
I was grateful with the meeting today with your key staff and some Christian Church leaders here in the ACT.
In the meeting we expressed our deep concerns regarding the Sexuality and Gender Identity Conversion Practices Bi/12020 currently before the Legislative Assembly.
Clearly, it goes without saying, we are agreed that young people who find themselves personally considering gender transitioning deserve our full care and loving attention. Their dignity is to be respected at all times. We know them to be enduring periods of intense suffering, distress and sexual identity fluidity.
Having said this, the Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn stands alongside the growing numbers of professionals from the medical and psychological sciences who are voicing grave concerns about the proposed legislation.
This Archdiocese calls for a more considered response to the legislation. What is proposed at present is a rushed and defective legislative response. It is in isolation from the genuine concerns of so many in the ACT community. There is a great cause to pause before proceeding further.
At our gathering with your key staff today we articulated precise areas of the legislation that causes our concerns. We know that they will pass these concerns onto you. We look forward to considering the amendments you propose to the Bill.
Chief among these concerns, the Catholic Church would want to emphasise the importance of the family and fundamental parental human rights. This is an area of great vagueness in the proposed legislation.
The irony is that children are legally not permitted to be tattooed, buy cigarettes or alcohol, drive a car, gamble, have elective surgery without adult consent and so on, yet this proposed legislation would legally permit under 18 year olds to pursue radical means of gender transitioning freed from parental control.
Given that the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn consists of 163,000 Catholics, 56 schools, 4 hospitals, 10 Aged Care Homes, CatholicCare, Marymead, and the St Vincent de Paul Society, and other services, our contribution to the care and health of the community is not insignificant. We will continue to provide the best possible care for families in the ACT. Our hope is that political legislation in this fragile area helps and not hinders our mission to accompany all those in need.
Archbishop Christopher Prowse
Catholic Archdiocese of the Canberra and Goulburn
Totally support the views expressed in the Archbishop’s letter.This issue is one of real concen and the radical policies expressed in the Bill are too far out of touch with sensible and mature community sentiments
I am concerned that the mainstream Labour party has been captured and held to ransome on this issue by an unrepresentative minority. The proposed legislation is appalling and must be voted down
Thank you for defending the rights of parents who a key responsibility on guiding their children to happiness and a fulfilling life.
Well said Your Grace. Thank you for speaking up on this. Yet more nefarious social engineering by a ‘progressive’ government.
Is not the legislation intended to ban sexuality and gender identity conversion practices?? For example a gay person being subjected to a conversion procedure to change his sexuality. That is surely abhorrent and wrong.
While that may be the purported reason (and I agree with you that it is wrong), they way it is worded is vague enough to undermine parental rights , and allow children access to treatments which may be irreversible. In every other area of health, it is recognised that children do not have the experience or capacity to make these kinds of decisions. A significant number of children who identify as transgendered in early high school return to their biological gender by the end of their teens.
It is already difficult for parents to suggest children “wait and see”, due to external pressures.
Sorry Terry but any bill that stated ‘practices’ as simple as a parent expressing sentiments of hesitation and caution to a young child experiencing gender confusion could become criminal offences if the proposed bill is passed is ridiculous. That is Abhorrent..
Thank you Archbishop Christopher for your stand on this issue. As parents and Grandparents there is much to fear in the path being journeyed by our political leaders.
Totally support all that the Archbishop said.
Thank you Grace for raising the concerns on behalf of us Catholics. This bill is a political move ahead of the election, and is certainly ill considered. We should keep voicing our concerns.
Totally agree with your sentiments Archbishop. I’m extremely concerned with the way our politicians and certain members of our society are undermining our society as a whole. In this case the young and most vulnerable members.
I fully support your initiative, Your Grace, but just pray it did not come too late to influence the process.
But,if that is so, which I very much fear might be the case, we need to think of a plan B to limit the negative impacts of this proposed ‘ill-thought-out’ legislation. Can we?
We may also need to think of an ‘early warning system’ to alert us to similar legislative initiatives, to give us sufficient time to contribute to political decision making in future.
Have we build effective contacts to assembly members, I wonder? A Chinese proverb says you need to be closer to your opponents than to your friends – so you always know what they are ‘up-to’ and you can be prepared…
Thankfully we live in a democracy, with no opponents nor enemies, but there is a degree of wisdom in the saying nevertheless – a wisdom we may be well advised to adopt.
This type of conscious departure from natural human development and family unity is abhorrent. I can only conclude that it is generated by fear of the truth, fear of the reality of biology, and fear of a tiny minority being hated – not being treated with love and compassion. I ask, what evidence is there that such fear is grounded so confidently, that the response must be an application of total risk averseness for about 20% of the human population aged between about 8 and 20 (who experience some degree gender confusion) when only about 5% of this 20% – at most, will persist with discomfort about their biological gender by age 20. Leave families to deal with this so the 19% grow naturally under the love and care of their parents. Without state interference. And let the 1% be loved and cared for by their parents as well – with State assistance, as will likely be needed.
Thanks for your concern. While the media keep us distracted with the COVID 19 in every country the devil silently is working in this abomination.
Thank you your Eminence, hoping that Australia as a free country and own voice respect the voice of his people as well as freedom in religion, not to break the seal of confession.
God bless you
Thank you Your Eminence for following this matter up with The Chief Minister’s Office and members of the religious community.
I am a long-standing and very conservative member of The Liberal Party and also a member of The Australian Family Association and have been very concerned about the leaning of The Labor Party towards same-sex marriage and sexual change matters.
Thank you once again.
I expressed our concerns to the Liberals and they supported us and said that they opposed the Bill. Unfortunately, the Libs are a minority and I heard that the Bill was passed today. Its a sad day for us 🙁
We just have to keep praying for Australia’s conversion.