Supreme Court Weighs Ban on Scientifically Discredited Conversion Therapy'

"Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Chiles v. Salazar, which challenges Colorado's ban on conversion therapy, a discredited and often harmful practice of attempting to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. Under the law, licensed mental health providers and physicians are prohibited from offering these treatments to minors. The challenge to Colorado's law was brought in 2022 by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor who views her work as an outgrowth of her Christian faith,"

"Conversion therapy refers to a broad category of approaches to try to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It can involve talk therapy, medications, hypnosis or aversive techniques such as electroshock or inducing vomiting. Some programs are administered by religious ministries, others by health care professionals. Studies have found these attempted treatments to be both ineffective and dangerous, and they are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and increased suicidality."

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a challenge to Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors. The law bars licensed mental health providers and physicians from offering conversion treatments to people under 18. The challenge was brought in 2022 by Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor who says her faith informs her practice, and her lawyers contend the statute restricts her speech and inflicts ongoing irreparable harm. Conversion therapy encompasses talk therapy, medications, hypnosis and aversive techniques such as electroshock or induced vomiting. Studies find these treatments ineffective, dangerous, and linked to PTSD and increased suicidality.

Read at www.scientificamerican.com