Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo the points made by Senator Pauline O'Reilly and thank the Baby Feeding Law Group Ireland. Sometimes a stigma is created when anyone seeks to promote breastfeeding but it is worth remembering that sadly, breastfeeding in this country is very much the underdog, as fewer than 6% of babies are breastfed, compared with an average of 40% in other jurisdictions. Choice is fundamental but in most countries it is 50:50 for breastfeeding and using formula milk whereas in Ireland over 90% of babies will be fed formula within six months. That fact is important to remember because sometimes the framing can suggest otherwise. I thank all of the advocates who have worked on this issue. They have worked as underdogs in this area and with far less resources than some major commercial actors in the sector. I also thank the Minister for listening to those voices.

Amendments Nos. 92 and 107 concern conversion therapy, which is an issue that was raised on Committee Stage. We have addressed the issue of conversion therapy in two different parts of this Bill.We cannot be complacent about it. We have seen aggressive practices in respect of pressure placed on LGBT individuals. It is an issue I feel strongly about, which is why I was happy to support and co-sponsor legislation brought forward during the term of the previous Oireachtas by Senator Warfield in this regard. I recall that when I was growing up, if someone was gay, he or she may well have ended up in electroshock therapy, and that was not a million years ago. It was something experienced by colleagues and friends I knew. While conversion therapy is not as physical as that, it can be just as cruel, damaging and deeply harmful and corrosive to a person in terms of his or her identify, sense of self and ability to live a proper and confident life.

Sadly, at a period when there are very aggressive and well-resourced actors that seek to divide and conquer between LGBT groups and others, this is why the online space is so important. There are international actors that may be very well resourced in advertising and promoting conversion therapy. I do not have to look solely across to the United States, where we know the damage conversion therapy has done, but also within Europe, where anti-LGBT zones have been declared in certain EU states. In that context, it is important we be clear that in Ireland, we do not regard this as an acceptable service to be advertised or as communication fit to be promoted. I have used the phrase "commercial communications" but I believe the formulation I had on Committee Stage was better because this is not solely about commercial content with a goal of selling. In some cases, we want to ensure these practices cannot be commercially advertised, even if they are not seeking to make money but rather to use commercial systems to promote themselves.

Amendment No. 107 seeks to address this issue within the online safety codes because these practices are fundamentally unsafe. It refers to any content that seeks “to promote practices or beliefs which seek to compromise or invalidate a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including the advertisement or promotion of conversion therapy in respect of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity". I acknowledge this area was examined in the past but I am frustrated because we brought forward legislation during the previous Oireachtas and were assured Government legislation was coming but it has not arrived. If we do not continue to move forward in Ireland, we will leave this open to those who would seek to move us backwards. I hope the Minister will consider these amendments.