Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) attended a preliminary parliamentary debate in the Finnish Parliament on Friday, 13 September 2024. Orpo on Sunday stated to YLE that he is personally in favour of banning conversion therapies, but conceded that the government is unlikely to take steps in that direction due to the variety of views within his ruling coalition. (Vesa Moilanen – Lehtikuva)
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PRIME MINISTER Petteri Orpo (NCP) stated on YLE Radio Suomi on Sunday that he is definitely in favour of prohibiting conversion therapies – therapies that seek to change the gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation of an individual to conform with gender stereotypes.
“I think that the idea that somehow you try to train people to become something that they aren’t goes completely against the idea of human nature,” he said.
Orpo also acknowledged that the government is unlikely to take any steps toward the prohibition given the lack of consensus within the four ruling parties, the National Coalition, Finns Party, Swedish People’s Party and Christian Democrats.
“We’ve observed and agreed within the ruling parties that both individual lawmakers and parliamentary groups will be given free rein on citizens’ initiatives,” he told.
“After the Parliament has expressed its view, we’ll negotiate and see how we could move forward on the issue. Government proposals require a shared view within the ruling parties and unfortunately there’s no way to change that.”
The Christian Democrats and Finns Party are of the opinion that the government should not draw up a proposal to ban the controversial therapies.
Representatives of the National Coalition in the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee on Friday announced they have decided to vote in favour of a citizens’ initiative calling for the prohibition of conversion therapies. Earlier they had been content with dealing with the initiative by requesting an inquiry into the possible prohibition from the Ministry of Justice.
The quartet justified their change of heart with statements made by Jani Mäkelä, the chairperson of the Finns Party Parliamentary Group, and Peter Östman, the chairperson of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Group. Mäkelä and Östman declared to Helsingin Sanomat last Wednesday that the therapies will not be banned during this parliamentary term.
“It isn’t possible for the government to draft laws without a shared understanding. And there’s no shared understanding about this issue,” said Mäkelä.
“[The prohibition] isn’t in the government programme. There’s a separate process for citizens’ initiatives, but this won’t become a government proposal,” added Östman.
Pihla Keto-Huovinen, who represents the National Coalition on the Legal Affairs Committee, on Friday argued in a press release that the statements raise questions about the sincerity of what had been a plan to look into the possible ban.
“In light of statements from the Finns Party, we can no longer be confident that the Finns Party minister is committed to looking into banning conversion therapies during this electoral term,” she wrote.
Östman declined to comment further on the issue, but Mäkelä took issue with the singling out of Minister of Justice Leena Meri (PS).
“You don’t do this in a government. After I said the government will only draft bills on which there’s a consensus, and then Keto-Huovinen publicly states that she doesn’t have confidence in the minister,” Mäkelä said to Helsingin Sanomat. “She should have a discussion within her own group and party about what it means to represent a ruling party.”
Mäkelä added to the newspaper that it is irrelevant what the four lawmakers and their party think about conversion therapies. The government, he reiterated, will only draw up proposals that are “genuinely needed” and it can afford.
“The Legal Affairs Committee has the right to draft whatever kind of report on a citizens’ initiative that its members want. The government won’t draft the proposal because there’s no unanimity. That’ll be the outcome, whatever the case,” he declared.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
