NASW-WI Releases Statement On State Supreme Court Case Regarding Conversion Therapy
STATE SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATION AWAITS WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
DECISION ON CONVERSION THERAPY BAN
January 9, 2025
Madison, WI- The National Association of Social Workers Wisconsin Chapter (NASW-WI) looks forward to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court’s hearing of oral arguments in Tony Evers v. Howard Marklein on January 16th, 2025. The Court’s final decision on this case could reaffirm the ability of Wisconsin professions to set their own Conduct Code as well as stop the extremely harmful practice of conversion therapy.
NASW-WI has been working for seven years to ban conversion therapy in the Conduct Code for social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors. The proposed Conduct Code rule, which would protect clients from this harmful, discredited, unethical practice, has repeatedly been suspended by the Joint Committee on the Review of Administrative Rules.
The continuous suspensions of this rule represent a legislative overreach in the rule-making process and threaten the ability of professions in Wisconsin to create their standards. As outlined in state statutes Section 15.08 (intro.) and (b)) and a June 2020 Legislature Memo, professional boards can create ethical standards. Section 457.03 (2) (intro) and (b) Statutes provide that authority to the Examining Board of Marriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work...
Contact: Marc Herstand MSW, CISW (he/him), Executive Director
Phone: 608-257-6334
Email: mherstand.naswwi@socialworkers.org
Read The Full Statement
Learn More About Our Work Here
Click Here To Watch The Case Live on January 16th at 9:45 a.m. Or To View the Recording Later.