Justices strike down law banning conversion therapy

The US Supreme Court has ruled 8 – 1 against a Colorado law that prohibited psychotherapists from using so-called conversion therapy with minors. The court sided with a Christian counsellor who argued that the ban violated free speech.

A majority of the justices, led by Neil Gorsuch, concluded that the law not only restricted professional practice but also communication itself, and thus interfered with constitutionally protected rights.

LGBTQ activists are fighting for such laws in numerous countries, which are intended to prevent doctors and therapists from questioning patients who struggle with their sexuality or gender, and demand that, for example, transgender patients be supported only in an affirmative and accepting manner, without being allowed to question their desire for a gender transition or a change in their own sexuality.

Critics of the decision point out that conversion therapy is harmful and ineffective, especially for minors, according to some experts. Other medical experts contradict.

The dissenting opinion by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson emphasised the right of states to regulate healthcare in the interest of protecting public health.

(reuters, mja)