On Thursday, an appeals court upheld Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, rejecting a challenge to the state’s prohibition of this controversial practice. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the ban does not violate free speech rights or target religious practices. The court supported the ban, aligning it with the medical consensus that conversion therapy is “ineffective and harmful” and deemed it rational for protecting minors seeking mental healthcare. Judge Veronica Rossman, appointed by President Joe Biden, stated that the law is appropriately related to Colorado’s interest in shielding minor patients from harmful therapeutic practices.
The ruling was praised by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which argued that the ban protects minors from unsafe practices falsely claiming to change sexual orientation or gender identity.
The group noted that these practices are discredited by major medical and mental health organizations. The court’s decision follows a 2019 law banning conversion therapy for those under 18, with violators facing disciplinary action.
The lawsuit, brought by licensed counselor Kaley Chiles, claimed the ban infringed on her free speech and religious beliefs, but the court ruled that the law only prohibits the practice itself, not discussions about it. Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom criticized the decision, arguing it limits counselors’ free speech.
Currently, 23 states and Washington, D.C., have similar bans, supported by the American Medical Association’s stance against conversion therapy.
Peoplesmind
