A new California law that planned to put a stop to conversion therapy for gay minors was put on hold this week. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the law could not take effect on January 1st, as was previously planned.
The thought behind stopping the ban stems from a concern about first amendment rights. Matthew Staver, a lawyer for the challengers of the law, told Anderson Cooper earlier this month that the ban on the specific type of therapy would limit therapists' right to practice medicine how they wanted.
The American Psychological Association writes on its website, "To date, there has been no scientifically adequate research to show that therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation (sometimes called reparative or conversion therapy) is safe or effective."
The law is the first of its kind in the United States.
[Image of Marcus Bachmann, whose clinic was found to be using gay conversion therapy techniques in 2011, via AP]