US Supreme Court rejects Colorado ban on LGBTQ child ‘conversion therapy’

In an eight-to-one decision, the high court ruled against a law banning the discredited practice on free speech grounds.The United States Supreme Court has ruled against a law in the state of Colorado that bans the controversial practice of “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ children, a discredited practice that has been linked to serious harm for participants.Tuesday’s ruling was an eight-to-one decision, with two of the court’s three liberal justices joining its six conservatives in opposing the ban.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump administration to drop charges against US veteran who burned flaglist 2 of 3Olympic gender test ‘a disrespect for women’, South Africa’s Semenya sayslist 3 of 3Threats over Iran war bare Trump efforts to transform free speech: Analystsend of listThe court majority argued that restricting talk therapy could violate the free speech protections enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution.“Once again, because the State has suppressed one side of a debate, while aiding the other, the constitutional issue is straightforward,” Elena Kagan, a left-leaning justice, wrote in a supporting opinion.About two dozen US states have laws banning conversion therapy, which aims to “convert” the gender identity or sexual orientation of individuals to reflect heterosexual, cisgender norms.Studies have linked the practice to higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts for LGBTQ people.Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the court’s conservatives, argued that the First Amendment “stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country”.That, in turn, prevents any state from limiting what a therapist might talk about with a patient, even if that therapist seeks to dissuade a child from their LGBTQ identity.Only one justice, the left-leaning Ketanji Brown Jackson, cast a dissenting vote in Tuesday’s case.She argued that the ruling “threatens to impair states’ ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect”, and she highlighted the dangers of conversion therapy to the health of LGBTQ youth.In the lead-up to Tuesday’s ruling, Christian counsellor Kaley Chiles successfully argued that the Colorado law banned her from offering voluntary, faith-based talk therapy for children. Her case was supported by the administration of President Donald Trump.