Supreme Court hears challenge to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy

Dive Brief:

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday challenging a Colorado law that bans psychotherapists from performing “ conversion therapy ” on minors struggling with aspects of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Almost every major medical group — including the American Psychiatric Association , the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association — has disavowed the practice, saying it’s ineffective and may even harm patients. Still, the plaintiffs in the case, conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom and Colorado therapist Kaley Chiles, want the ban overturned, saying therapists have a First Amendment right to free speech in sessions.

The court has previously ruled that states can place limits on medical care if lawmak