Hungarian psychiatrists strongly criticise the country’s pedophile law
Psychiatrists have strongly criticised the amendment to the law voted by the governing parties.
It has been six months since the child protection, also known as pedophile law was passed and the ruling parties have added passages on the LGBTQ+ community. The Hungarian Psychological Society and the Hungarian Psychiatric Society have recently issued a public statement concerning the law and its effect on LGBTQ+ youth. The statement was posted on their Facebook page.
The most important assertion in the statement is the following:
Law LXXIX of 2021 explicitly puts the mental health of some young people at risk.
As HVG reported, according to the Hungarian Psychiatric Society,
“People belonging to sexual minorities do not choose their own destiny, gender identity or sexual orientation, but it is largely determined by complex biological processes beyond their control.”
The two societies feel like it is their duty to express their “professional position because minority groups in society, people who are different from the majority in some way, may be at increased risk of developing various psychological difficulties because of the stigma they face”.
As Telex wrote, the professional associations of psychologists and psychiatrists also said that “in many cases, the sex determined at birth is not as biologically clear-cut as it might first appear” and that “the development of gender identity is, therefore, a complex and sensitive process, even in purely biological terms, which can change throughout life”.
The Hungarian Psychiatric Society strongly maintains that
“the development of gender identity and sexual orientation cannot be influenced by environmental influences (e.g. education, ‘propaganda’)”.
According to Telex, the statement of professionals’ underlines: it is a fact, supported by scientific studies that
just as many children raised by heterosexual persons and couples become homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) as children raised by homosexual persons and couples.
As they stated in their declaration, the gender identity and sexual orientation of the parents do not influence the gender identity, sexual orientation and healthy development of the child, and there is no scientific evidence to the contrary. However, the stigmatisation of these parents and their children is clearly harmful.
Telex also added in their article that if the young people and children concerned are denied access to information (as the law in question seeks to do),
they will be left alone with their questions and uncertainties.
“As a consequence, the risk of developing anxiety disorders, self-harming behaviour, substance abuse, depression and suicidal behaviour among the more vulnerable children and young people concerned – as is generally the case for various minority groups, and is also supported by literature – increases significantly”, as reads the two societies’ statement.
Therefore, they conclude that,
while there is a clear and strong need for stricter criminal law action against pedophile offenders to protect children, Law LXXIX of 2021 explicitly endangers the mental health of some young people, and they draw the attention of policymakers to this with their resolution.
Source: Telex, HVG