| Philadelphia, Pa. – April 8, 2026 – The Catholic Medical Association applauds the Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision in the Chiles v. Salazar case, affirming the First Amendment right of a Christian counselor in Colorado. The Court determined that Colorado’s limitations on counseling for young people suffering with gender dysphoria was discriminatory. CMA submitted an amicus brief supporting the rights of talk therapist Kaley Chiles and was joined by other medical associations. According to CMA President, David Hilger, M.D., “With this decision, health care professionals can provide compassionate care without restrictions on their speech, and young people struggling with gender dysphoria can hope to access counseling that fully informs them of the risks of medical and irreversible surgical interventions.” The state law banned conversion therapy, stating that healthcare professionals could not engage in voluntary talk therapy that aims at aligning the sexual orientation or gender identity of a minor with their biological sex, claiming that such therapy did not work and was against current medical consensus. The Court found that the 2019 law violated the First Amendment in preventing free speech of the counselor and suppressing dissenting medical opinion. Justice Gorsuch in his majority opinion concluded that: “However well-intentioned, any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.” CMA has been a leader in calling for evidence-based medicine in treating youth suffering from gender dysphoria. More studies are revealing the harm of having youth take hormone suppressing drugs and undergoing surgical interventions and are calling for therapy to be the first option for care when a child presents with gender dysphoria. Dr. Tim Millea, the chair of the Health Care Policy Committee, praises the Supreme Court’s decision, noting that it demonstrates “overwhelming support for First Amendment protections of medical and mental health professionals and within the medical field where government should not limit the free exchange of ideas.” This ruling will likely affect 22 other states, including New York and California, with similar state bans. |
| ### The Catholic Medical Association is the largest national, physician-led community of Catholic health care professionals. CMA’s mission is to inform, organize, and inspire its members, in steadfast fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church, to uphold the principles of the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine. Media inquiries, please contact: Nadia Smith [email protected] www.cathmed.org |
