Following the Supreme Court decision in Chiles v. Salazar, which found that a Colorado law banning conversion therapy for minors violated the First Amendment rights of therapists, Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson co-authored an op-ed (with Utah state legislator Mike Petersen) for Deseret News.
The pair wrote that they don’t believe the ruling will impact Utah’s own law banning conversion therapy. An excerpt follows:
“Unlike Colorado’s law, Utah’s legislation is viewpoint-neutral. Rather than dictating conversation, Utah’s law protected virtually everything a therapist would want to explore with a minor client through “safe harbors.” Therapists can talk with kids about body image, family dynamics, social media use, religious beliefs or risky behaviors — and children can raise doubts, fears or questions — without being funneled into a single script of affirmation. Destructive aversive practices remain banned — but dialogue, exploration and honesty are protected.”