The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a lower court ruling banning harmful gay conversion therapy for minors in California, Reuters reports:
The justices, turning away a challenge to the 2012 law for the second time in three years, let stand a lower court's ruling that it was constitutional and neither impinged upon free exercise of religion nor impacted the activities of clergy members.
The law prohibits state-licensed mental health counselors, including psychologists and social workers, from offering therapy to change sexual orientation in minors. The Supreme Court in 2014 refused to review the law after an appeals court rejected claims that the ban infringed on free speech rights under U.S. Constitution's the First Amendment.
In addition to California, New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and the District of Columbia all have laws banning the harmful practice.
