The Colorado Catholic Conference is heartened by the Chiles v. Salazar victory at the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday, March 31. Chiles v. Salazar precedent rejects Colorado’s ban on genuine care for minors by their parents and counselors who offer compassionate care for gender dysphoria, backed by longstanding research that shows children experiencing gender dysphoria naturally grow out of their distress and do not need life-altering medical intervention. Preventing this option to parents and practitioners puts ideology before the healthcare of children. 

Coloradans continue to advocate for parental rights and religious liberty in our state Capitol, including against HB26-1309, which is another attempt to prohibit parents from making important medical and life decisions for their children. HB26-1309 would consider a parent who provides their child with care for gender dysphoria – such as the counseling by petitioner Kaley Chiles— as a form of “coercive control” and “abuse,” subject to scrutiny from Colorado courts in parental custody decisions. We should be concerned whenever government policy is to prohibit free speech and even remove children from their families because parents and children disagree about well-founded beliefs.

Chiles v. Salazar provides Colorado lawmakers with a timely directive: Colorado’s laws targeting the speech of counselors and parents harm our children and violate the First Amendment. The Colorado bishops are thankful for the United States Supreme Court's decision and will continue to advocate for parental rights and religious liberty in our state, relying on this new precedent.