 He supported initiatives such as a 1999 trial of medically supervised injecting rooms for heroin addicts, a 2001 bill to codify how parents might smack children and a 2003 bill to lower the age of consent for homosexual sex.However, early in his career he was opposed to further liberalisation of abortion laws, and opposed a 1993 bill that would have outlawed anti-gay hate speech.Ryan took a strong interest of social justice, particularly concerning disability, child protection and protecting consumers from unscrupulous operators.