Spain is one step closer to passing a bill that would threaten pastors who offer Biblical counseling to individuals seeking to leave the homosexual or transgender lifestyle. The new bill, which is backed by multiple political parties, would criminalize so-called conversion therapy. Pastors, religious leaders and counselors could be imprisoned from six months to two years simply for offering such support.

The bill passed Spain’s lower house, with 311 members in favor, 33 against and one abstention. If approved by the country’s legislature, the bill would amend the Spanish Penal Code by adding a new article within the code.

Pastors and religious leaders are not the only ones who could face prosecution under the new law. Parents and legal guardians could also be penalized for arranging or consenting to any treatment that does not affirm their child’s chosen gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as face penalization for postponing permanent transition procedures.

Spain’s Evangelical Alliance (AEE) released a statement opposing the bill and pointing out the repercussions to churches, pastors and individuals seeking help.

“These were already prohibited by state and regional legislation, but now there is a proposal to incorporate them into the Penal Code, with prison sentences,” the AEE said. “Supportive treatments or personal and pastoral assistance initiatives for people who want to restore harmony between their biological sex and their gender identity have nothing to do with manipulation or torture. They are in no way ‘conversion therapies’ because they do not seek to convert anyone, but only to provide help to those who freely request it.”

Pastors, leaders, counselors and parents in countries across Europe already face legal penalties for offering therapy to those who want to leave the LGBT lifestyle. Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta and Portugal have banned any treatment that would seek to change a person’s orientation or gender identity.

Countries such as Ireland and Poland have rejected such proposals.

Although there is no federal ban on counseling that affirms the Biblical definition of gender in the U.S., some states have enacted laws that attempt to limit parents’ rights to seek such counseling for their children. California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C. have all passed legislation aimed at restricting minors’ access to therapy that helps them embrace heterosexual orientation or align their gender identity with their biological sex.

Photo: Diego Coppola / Alamy Stock Photo