Today, the Supreme Court issued an opinion that removes the gag from the mouths of Christian counselors by upholding their First Amendment right to free speech.
This decision gives parents and children access to therapy that aligns with their personal and religious views. The Court struck down Colorado’s unconstitutional censorship law that prevented counselors from engaging in voluntary therapy that provides truthful information about bodily reality. The decision in Chiles v. Salazar reaffirms the important principle that counseling conversations are speech protected by the First Amendment. The Court’s 8-1 decision makes clear that “the First Amendment’s protections extend to licensed professionals much as they do everyone else.”
“This ruling is a victory for parents, children, therapists, and common sense,” Eagle Forum President Kris Ullman said. “Colorado passed a law in 2019 that sought to silence particular viewpoints surrounding sexual identity. Colorado’s ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ outlawed speech with which the government disagreed. The Court today clearly stated that this is censorship and cannot stand.”
“The Court’s ruling will protect the rights of counselors not only in Colorado but also in more than 20 states that have enacted viewpoint-discriminatory laws that silence speech that conforms to biological reality. Children who are struggling with gender identity issues deserve honest information. They do not need the government to select which viewpoints they are allowed to hear,” Ullman concluded.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, made clear that "[T]he First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country. It reflects instead a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth. However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an 'egregious' assault on both of those commitments."
Eagle Forum thanks Colorado counselor Kaley Chiles and Alliance Defending Freedom for taking this important fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
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Eagle Forum was founded by Phyllis Schlafly, a dynamic and charismatic leader who inspired countless women and men to participate in the process of self-government and public policy-making so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty, with respect for the nuclear family, public and private virtue, and private enterprise. For nearly fifty years, Eagle Forum’s network of state organizations has led the charge to mobilize the grassroots to defend the founding principles of the United States.
