Conversion therapy ban to go into effect after Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling

The liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday morning that a conversion therapy ban can go into effect in the state, axing a Republican effort to keep the practice legal.

In 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services board introduced a ban on conversion therapy with support from Gov. Tony Evers (D). In January 2023, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature struck down the ban through the Joint Committee for Review and Administrative Rules (JCRAR). The committee temporarily suspended the rules implemented by the Evers administration that designated conversion therapy as unprofessional conduct.

But with the new 4-3 decision made along ideological lines, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the legislative committee’s actions were unconstitutional, effectively stripping power away from the committee.

In the majority opinion of the court, Chief Justice Jill Karofsky wrote that the Rules Committee’s actions were an overreach of its authority.

Conversion therapy can refer to a series of practices that attempt to force homosexuals and other LGBTQ+ individuals into being straight or fitting traditional gender roles. People who have experienced conversion therapy first-hand have described it as torture, since sexual orientation is not a choice. The discredited practices involved with conversion therapy can do significant damage to a person’s mental health, and it can lead to increased rates of depression, substance abuse and risk of suicide.

Conversion therapy for minors is banned in 27 states and in several countries around the world for human rights violations.