US: Supreme Court upholds California’s ‘gay cure’ therapy ban
The US Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal against California’s ban on therapy that aims to ‘cure’ homosexuality in under-18s.
The “Liberty Counsel”, who launched the appeal, claimed that the law broke the United States constitution’s first amendment: the right to free speech and freedom of religion.
They also claimed that the law infringes on parents’ rights to “direct the upbringing” of their children.
Their case has already been rejected by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The implementation of the law, which was originally supposed to start in January 2013, had been suspended pending the outcome of this appeal.
Following today’s ruling, the ban can finally come into effect.
Since California introduced the ban, a second state, New Jersey, has followed suit.
The Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, was sued over the ban and accused of “banning chastity”.
