Finnish lawmaker convicted on hate speech for 2004 pamphlet calling homosexuality a 'disorder'

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Finnish lawmaker faces hate speech charge after quoting the Bible

Chief religion correspondent Lauren Green joins America Reports with the latest on Paivi Rasanen's trial.

Finland Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen was convicted by the country's Supreme Court on a count of hate speech for a decades-old pamphlet referring to homosexuality as a "developmental disorder."

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which represents Räsänen, announced the narrow 3-2 ruling on Thursday. 

Räsänen was previously acquitted on the charge by two lower courts.

PROSECUTOR IN FINLAND'S 'BIBLE TRIAL' QUESTIONS LAWMAKER OVER BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, DOCUMENTARY SHOWS

MP of Finland's Christian Democrats Paivi Rasanen, right, holds a Bible as she arrives with her husband Niilo Rasanen to attend a court session at the Helsinki District Court in Helsinki, Finland, on Jan. 24, 2022. (Photo by Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)

The charge centered on a pamphlet Räsänen originally published in 2004 titled, "Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual Relationships Challenge the Christian Understanding of Humanity" where she argued that homosexuality could be considered a "negative developmental disorder."

"[T]he scientific material unequivocally proves that homosexuality is a disorder of psycho-sexual development. Those who claim that homosexuality is a natural 'healthy' variety of sexuality nullify the evidentiary value found in family background studies for political reasons," Räsänen wrote.

According to ADF International, the court found Räsänen guilty of having "made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation," though the pamphlet was published years before the law was passed.

LAWMAKER ON TRIAL IN EUROPE FOR RELIGIOUS VIEWS A 'CAUTIONARY TALE' FOR THE US, SAYS LAWYER

Päivi Räsänen's 2004 pamphlet explained why homosexuality was a disorder of psycho-sexual development. (Axel Schmidt/Reuters)

"I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression. I stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and will continue to defend my and every person’s right to share their convictions in the public square," Räsänen said in a statement after the ruling.

Räsänen added that she plans to appeal the case to the European Court of Human Rights to help prevent "other innocent people from experiencing the same ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs."

In an editorial on Friday, The Washington Post opined of Räsänen, "That she was prosecuted for either is the real crime." The editorial was titled, "A free-speech farce in Finland." 

Mentioning the co-defendent in the case, the editorial added, "If Finland is able to do this to a sitting member of its legislature and a clergyman who chairs an international organization with millions of members, no less notable person can feel comfortable expressing similar views in public."

The court imposed an approximately $2,100 fine on Räsänen and demanded that the pamphlet be "removed from public access and destroyed."  

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MP of Finland's Christian Democrats Paivi Rasanen was previously acquitted of her charges in 2023. (Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court of Finland and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Finland for comment.

Räsänen was also unanimously acquitted by the court for a 2019 tweet where she questioned her church’s sponsorship of an LGBTQ Pride event, and linked to an Instagram post with a picture of Romans 1:24-27.

Executive Director of ADF International Paul Coleman celebrated Räsänen's acquittal but lamented her charge as an "example of state censorship."

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"Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is right that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet. However, the conviction for a simple church pamphlet published decades ago – before the law under which she has been convicted was even passed – is an outrageous example of state censorship. This decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely," Coleman said.