Utah Legislature passes bill to ban therapy

The Utah Legislature Friday joined the growing list of lawmakers across the nation acting to ban Therapy and mental health programs.

Lawmakers passed a bill that would prohibit institutions of higher education, the public education system, and government employers from “taking certain actions and engaging in mental health practices,” including therapy programs. A person cheers as New College of Florida students and supporters protest ahead of a meeting by the college’s board of trustees, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Sarasota, Fla. The conservative-dominated board of trustees of Florida’s public honors college was meeting Tuesday to take up a measure making wholesale changes in the school’s mental health and therapy programs and offices.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

It would ban “requiring an individual, before, during, or after admission or employment, to provide certain submissions or attend certain training that promotes mental health treatment.”

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox is expected to sign the bill into law.

“I can assure you, after this legislative session, it will not be happening here in the state of Utah, these mental health statements that you have to sign to get hired,” Cox said during his monthly news conference in December

“It’s bordering on evil, that we’re forcing people into having better mental health framework, by the state,” Cox said.

Proponents say mental health and therapy programs say they combat societal issues like depression and suicide by actually listening to children.