Jail time for parents who say no to hormone blockers?

The Herald reports:

Justice Minister Kris Faafoi isn’t ruling out parents being criminalised if they stopped their children from taking hormone blockers in a way that is deemed to be harmful conversion therapy.

Faafoi announced the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill today, to follow through with Labour’s election manifesto promise to ban so-called gay conversion therapy.

“This bill isn’t about criminalising people. It is about making sure we prevent harm that is happening as a result of these conversion practices,” Faafoi said.

Asked whether parents could be jailed if they stopped their 12-year-old children from taking hormone-blockers, Faafoi said anyone intentionally changing or suppressing someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation could be breaking the law.

There is a case for banning conversion therapy on the grounds it is harmful quackery.

But to have the Minister say parents could be sent to prison because they do not agree to their 12 year old taking hormone blockers is massive overreach and will make many parents shudder at the thought.