Austria has sparked outrage by enacting a stringent gender identity law that imprisons parents who oppose sex-change surgeries for their children. The measure, targeting those resisting irreversible medical interventions for minors, threatens up to a year in jail or hefty fines, marking a controversial escalation in the nation’s approach to gender dysphoria.
The leaked draft bill, reportedly driven by the SPÖ (Social Democrats) and NEOS (Liberals) parties, imposes penalties of up to €30,000 ($34,428) for parents questioning their child’s pursuit of hormone therapy or genital-altering surgeries. Additionally, the legislation labels psychological treatments for gender dysphoria as “conversion therapy,” effectively banning therapists from addressing underlying mental health issues like depression or anxiety that may contribute to a minor’s desire to transition.
Naturalnews.com reports: Political chaos ensued following the draft law’s leak. The SPO denied authorship and blamed the Greens, while the Austrian People’s Party insists the draft originated with the Social Democrats.
Meanwhile, NEOS claimed the bill merely targets conversion therapy, a term now controversially expanded to include cautious medical advice. The Liberals cited a 2019 motion originally introduced by the SPO to back up the claim.
The proposal has ignited fierce backlash, with critics warning it criminalizes parental rights and medical ethics in service of radical gender ideology. Psychiatrist Bettina Reiter, a vocal opponent, warns the law would force parents into silence.
“If parents say, ‘My child has a problem,’ this law will force them to say, ‘Do whatever you want.’ That is totalitarian,” she remarked. “Parents will also be criminalized – and that is the worst part.”
Vienna’s dangerous push to control kids’ medical choice
The numbers underscore the urgency of the debate. Mastectomies among girls under 25 surged from just four in 2011 to 128 in 2023, with many later expressing profound regret.
Amid the finger-pointing, one fact remains. Vienna appears willing to fast-track a law that could strip parents of their right to intervene in life-altering medical decisions for their children.
Historically, such state overreach echoes authoritarian regimes that weaponized medicine for ideological ends – from Soviet psychiatry’s abuse of dissidents to China’s one-child policy. Critics argue the SPO’s bill follows a similar pattern, prioritizing dogma over individual welfare.
If passed, the law would mark a dangerous precedent, equating parental concern with criminal transphobia. As the debate intensifies, the world watches whether Austria will become the first Western democracy to jail parents for resisting irreversible medical procedures on their children.
По материалам: http://www.planet-today.com/2025/06/austria-begins-imprisoning-parents-who.html