Jacinda Ardern ruling Labour Party are promising to ban ‘conversion therapy’ across New Zealand.

New Zealand’s standing government made a public vow to do better and support the LGBTQ+ community by banning ‘conversion therapy’.

‘Conversion therapy’ is an inhumane act which traumatises its subject in a degrading effort to forcefully change a person’s sexual orientation.

It’s a widely condemned act which unfairly targets the LGBTQ+ community. If the current Labour Party successfully returns to power, they vow to overturn the practice and ban it.

“Conversion therapy has been linked to severe adverse mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation – that’s why it will be banned under a re-elected Labour Government,” Labour Party leader Tāmati Coffey said in a statement.

“It is a practice that causes harm and is out of place in the kind, inclusive and modern country we are.”

According to Thomson Reuters Foundation the New Zealand Labour Party are widely expected to be voted in again on 17 October.

The existing Labour-led government is in a coalition with the Green Party and the nationalist New Zealand First Party.

“Labour has a proud track record on advancing equal rights; we led the charge on homosexual law reform, civil unions, and marriage equality,” added Coffey.

“We’ve also made good progress this term by wiping historic homosexual convictions, providing additional funding for targeted mental health support and HIV research, and lifting the cap on gender confirmation surgeries.

“We have advanced a lot this term but there is more work to do to make sure all New Zealanders live free of discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“We will pass a law to ban the harmful practice of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is based on the misguided idea that people are wrong or broken because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This is fundamentally wrong.”

Outside of banning ‘conversion therapy’, Labour are committing to investing $4 million in existing Rainbow youth mental health services and review adoption and surrogacy policies with a view to removing discriminatory practices.

Most recently Canada has also taken steps to neutralise ‘conversion therapy’, in a reintroduced bill that will criminalise the harmful practice.

The bill was previously introduced back in March but was delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shown his support for the bill, stating: “Conversion therapy is harmful, degrading, and has no place in Canada… I hope that all parties will do the right thing by supporting this bill.”

Related: Canada reintroduces bill to ban ‘conversion therapy’.