A case before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) today could determine whether counseling can be treated as free speech, a decision that will affect how a Christian counselor can treat minor clients who have gender dysphoria.
The Wall Street Journal editorial, board explained in an editorial that the case, Chiles v. Salazar, is about a 2019 Colorado law that prohibits counselors from trying to change children’s gender identities or sexual orientation except when children are undergoing a “gender transition.” The law bans “conversion therapy” — treatments that range “from electric shocks, to hypnosis, to role-playing, to cognitive behavioral therapies” — if the counselor’s intention is to influence a child’s gender identity.
Christian counselor Kaley Chiles sued over the law, arguing that her belief that “clients can accept the bodies that God has given them and find peace” could influence conversations with her clients and provoke penalties from the state, the editorial said.
Colorado has claimed that Chiles is “overreading” the law, but the Journal wrote that “the plain text of the law appears broader than Colorado now prefers to admit.”
“‘A therapist treating a minor who seeks to understand whether they identify as a girl or boy should help that patient explore that question,’ the state says,” the Journal wrote. “Explore how? Ms. Chiles believes that most children with gender dysphoria before puberty eventually resolve those feelings. In that case, she’s in a bind.”
The Journal added that though Colorado says it has never enforced its ban on conversion therapy against a counselor, Chiles’ hesitation to trust the law is understandable given the state’s history of targeting other Christians who oppose LGBT agendas.
Colorado says that the law regulates conduct, not speech. The Journal predicts, however, that SCOTUS — which has a tendency to carefully consider cases that claim exceptions to the First Amendment — could side with Chiles.
The post WSJ: SCOTUS to decide whether ‘conversion therapy’ is free speech appeared first on CatholicVote org.