1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The Supreme Court's 8-1 decision in Chiles v. Salazar striking down Colorado's conversion therapy ban leaves vulnerable youth without protection. I need you to support federal legislation that bans this harmful practice for minors nationwide. The evidence is clear and alarming. According to The Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youth subjected to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. Their February research found that 61 percent of young people with recent exposure seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 35 percent attempted it. Every major medical and mental health association in the United States has condemned conversion therapy, linking it to depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide. This is pseudoscience masquerading as treatment, and minors cannot protect themselves from it. The Court elevated First Amendment doctrine over medical evidence and child safety. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. had protections in place that this ruling now undermines. Congress must act where the Court has failed. Federal law can establish a national standard that protects all children, regardless of where they live, from a practice that traumatizes them and increases their suicide risk.