chiles v. salazar:
why it matters now
There's a case before the Supreme Court right now that could change everything about who gets to make decisions for your child. It's called Chiles v. Salazar, and even if you've never heard of it, you need to understand what's at stake.
This isn't just about "conversion therapy." It's about whether therapists should have unlimited freedom to practice unproven, potentially harmful techniques on our children—behind closed doors, without accountability, all in the name of "free speech."
What's Actually Happening In This Case
In 2019, Colorado passed a law called the Minor Conversion Therapy Law (MCTL). The law is pretty straightforward: it prohibits licensed therapists from practicing "conversion therapy" on minors – meaning they can't try to change a child's sexual orientation or how they see themselves as a boy or girl.
The law doesn't apply to pastors, youth ministers, or religious counselors. It only regulates licensed mental health professionals – the same professionals who already have to follow professional standards to keep their licenses.
A therapist named Kaley Chiles, represented by ADF/the defense, is challenging this law. She claims that because her work involves talking to clients, and talking is protected by the First Amendment, Colorado can't tell her what she can or can't say in therapy sessions.
On the surface, that might sound reasonable. But here's where it gets dangerous for families like yours and mine.
Why This Case Should Matter To Every Parent
Let's be clear about what's really being argued here. ADF/the defense wants the Supreme Court to rule that therapy is primarily "speech," which would give therapists broad First Amendment protections—the same protections journalists and pastors have.
Think about what that would mean in practice.
If therapy is just "speech," then state medical boards would have a much harder time regulating what therapists do or say to patients. That doesn't just affect "conversion therapy." It affects all therapy. It means:
A therapist could promote their personal religious or political views to your child in session
A therapist could use experimental techniques with no scientific backing
A therapist could make promises they can't keep—promising to "fix" your child when no evidence says that's possible
State boards would struggle to discipline therapists who cause harm, because they'd be protected by "free speech"
When you take your child to a licensed professional, you're trusting that person has been trained, follows established standards of care, and can be held accountable if they do harm. This case threatens to strip away those protections.
The Dangerous Expansion of Professional "Free Speech"
Here's what makes this especially concerning for parents who value family authority: if therapists get expanded free speech protections, you're actually giving more power to strangers and less power to yourself.
Think about it this way. Right now, professional standards help ensure that therapists can't manipulate your child's thinking without consequence. Those standards exist because we recognize that the therapist-client relationship involves a power imbalance—your child is vulnerable, confused, and looking for guidance.
But if ADF/the defense wins, therapists could have nearly unlimited freedom to shape your child's worldview, all under the protection of "professional speech." They could:
Tell your child that you caused their confusion through bad parenting
Push them toward decisions you strongly oppose
Discourage them from sharing what happens in therapy with you
Promise outcomes that have no basis in science or medicine
Is that really the kind of freedom we want to protect? Or does it sound more like we're giving therapists permission to come between parents and children?
What Happens If Colorado Loses
If the Supreme Court rules against Colorado, one of two things will happen—and neither is good for families.
Scenario 1: Immediate nationwide impact. The Court could strike down conversion therapy bans entirely, ruling that these laws violate the First Amendment. That would immediately invalidate similar laws in more than two dozen states. Suddenly, nothing would stop practitioners from opening up shop anywhere, promising desperate parents they can "fix" their kids—for a price.
Scenario 2: The case gets sent back. The Court could "remand" the case to lower courts—meaning they send it back down for more review under something called "strict scrutiny," which is one of the toughest legal tests to pass. Most laws fail under strict scrutiny. So even if the Court doesn't strike down the law immediately, they'd be setting it up to fail later.
Either way, the message would be clear: therapist "free speech" matters more than protecting children from harmful, unproven practices.
What Happens If Colorado Wins
Here's what's important to understand if Colorado's law is upheld: nothing changes for good therapists.
The conversion therapy ban law in Colorado is narrow. Very narrow. On purpose! It doesn't stop therapists from:
Helping kids explore their feelings and identity
Supporting kids who want to live according to their faith
Providing therapy that aligns with a family's religious values
Discussing celibacy or behavior change as options
What it does stop is therapists from promising a specific outcome—promising they can make your child straight or make them identify with the body they were born in. Because that's not real therapy. That's a sales pitch for something that doesn't work.
The law protects your family from fraud. From practitioners who profit off desperation. From techniques that research shows cause depression, suicidality, and family breakdowns.
The Real Question: Who Has Power Over Your Child's Mind?
At the end of the day, this case comes down to a simple question: Do we want a future where therapists can practice unproven techniques on our children without consequences?
Because that's the world ADF/the defense is asking for. They're telling the Supreme Court that therapy is "just talking," and talking can't be regulated. But we know better.
Therapy isn't just talking. It's a professional service that can profoundly shape a young person's mind, especially when that young person is vulnerable and looking for answers. When someone has that much influence over your child, there need to be guardrails. There need to be standards. There needs to be accountability.
Parents know our children better than any therapist ever could. We're the ones who will live with the consequences of the decisions we make today. We're the ones who will lose sleep, pray through the night, and carry the weight of wondering if we did right by our kids.
The last thing we need is for therapists to have more autonomy and less oversight—especially when they're working with our most precious responsibility: our children.
What You Can Do
This case is happening right now. The Supreme Court heard arguments on October 7, 2025, and a decision could come any time.
You don't have to be a lawyer to understand what's at stake. You don't have to pick a side in the culture wars to recognize that expanding "professional speech" protections for therapists could put children at risk.
What you can do is stay informed. Share this information with other parents. And make it clear to your elected officials that you care about laws that protect children from harmful, unproven practices—no matter what those practices are called.
Because at the end of the day, our job as parents isn't to let strangers experiment on our kids in the name of free speech.
Our job is to protect them.