Is Prayer Now Criminal? Bob McCoskrie on NZ's Conversion Therapy Law

Is it now a criminal offence to pray for someone struggling with gender confusion? Could a parent face prosecution for affirming their child's biological sex? Bob McCoskrie of Family First joins Dane to unpack the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022 — and why he believes it should be repealed immediately. Bob explains how the law's vague definitions, the removal of consent as a legal defence, and its deliberate one-directional design have created a chilling effect on counsellors, parents, and religious communities alike. He makes a striking argument: now that the government has banned puberty blockers, the conversion therapy law is actively fighting itself — criminalising the very parental behaviour the government now endorses. The conversation also covers the under-16 social media ban debate (Bob's answer is more nuanced than you'd expect), the lessons from the 2020 cannabis referendum, and why shutting down debate always backfires. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Introduction & South Auckland memories 4:35 – What is the Conversion Practices Act and why does it exist? 9:40 – Vague definitions and the consent trap 19:15 – Prayer, parenting, and the chilling effect 25:33 – Detransition stories and the clinical pushback 30:28 – The under-16 social media ban debate 38:52 – Holding big tech accountable 48:10 – The puberty blockers ban creates a legal contradiction 52:00 – Cannabis referendum: how Bob beat Chloe Swarbrick 57:30 – Media silence, labels, and free speech Support the show https://www.fsu.nz/ https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech https://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/ https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz