Supreme Court sides with Christian counselor, rules against Colorado ban on conversion therapy

The US Supreme Court has ruled against a Colorado law banning conversion therapy. The law, enacted in 2019, restricted licensed mental health professionals from performing voluntary talk-based conversion therapy to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors. The court's decision found that the law likely trampled on First Amendment protections. Christian therapist Kaley Chiles had sued the state to block the law's enforcement, raising free speech concerns. The court's ruling reverses a lower court's decision and remands the case back to the lower courts for additional proceedings. The decision has sparked debate, with proponents of the law arguing that conversion therapy is a discredited practice.