January 1, Tensions Rise as Court Weighs Free Speech and Health Safeguards

Wyatt’s Take

• The Supreme Court delivered a major victory for religious freedom and parental rights.
• An 8-1 majority ruled Colorado cannot punish a Christian counselor for offering talk therapy to children.
• Justice Jackson stood alone in a dissent rejected by her own liberal colleagues.

The Supreme Court just delivered a massive victory for religious freedom and parental rights.

An 8-1 majority ruled that Colorado cannot punish a Christian counselor for offering traditional talk therapy to children.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only justice who voted to keep the state’s ban on conversion therapy in place.

She warned of a catastrophic fallout and claimed the ruling would destroy the quality of American healthcare.

“Ultimately, because the majority plays with fire in this case, I fear that the people of this country will get burned,” Jackson wrote.

Even the other liberal justices couldn’t get behind her logic.

Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that the First Amendment protects all speech regardless of whether the state likes the message.

Kagan noted that if the law were reversed to ban gender-affirming care instead, the same free speech protections would apply.

She accused Jackson of reimagining settled law to reach a political conclusion.

The counselor at the heart of the case, Kasey Chiles, simply wanted to help kids feel comfortable in their own bodies.

This ruling ensures the government cannot silence professionals just because they hold traditional values.

While Jackson cited a medical consensus for her position, many organizations are now sounding the alarm.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently came out against gender surgeries for minors.

Wyatt Matters

Common sense is still finding its footing in the highest court in the land. Protecting a counselor’s right to speak reflects the faith and family values many Middle Americans hold dear.

Read more about the Supreme Court ruling here.