(RepublicanReport.org) – In May, ABC News reported that 18 states were banning, restricting, or considering legal measures against gender-affirming care for minors. Human rights advocates and families with transgender youth have been fighting those measures in many of those areas. Tennessee and Kentucky recently received rulings on the matter.
On September 28, the Tennessee ACLU reported that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to block the law banning transgender treatment for minors in TN and Kentucky. The group released a statement noting that affected families in the state were devastated by the news.
The ACLU stated that “needlessly withholding the necessary medical care” from young people, despite their wishes and their doctors’ professional opinions “will continue to cause serious harm.” The group vowed to keep fighting for the rights of transgender people. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called the state’s victory a “big win for democracy.” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh called the ruling “huge.”
Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton acknowledged that the parties involved in the suit don’t dispute the fact that gender dysphoria exists and or that it causes distress among people 17 and under. While the ruling stated psychological and related care was appropriate, the judges didn’t feel additional treatments should be added to the list. Sutton said the “relatively new diagnosis” and “ever-shifting approaches” to the matter didn’t warrant eliminating age limits on hormone therapy, puberty blockers, or surgeries. One of the judges, Helene White, dissented. She said the bans in Kentucky and Tennessee “violate the Due Process Clause” by denying parents the right to make medical decisions for their children.
Tennessee Representative Jason Zachary (R) was happy about the ruling, stating that “protecting children is a priority” in his state. Other GOP members seemed highly pleased about the ruling.
However, not all gender-affirming care bans are meeting the same fate. Laws prohibiting proper medical care for that demographic in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Montana, and Indiana were all recently overturned. Do you think the ruling for TN and KY will catch on?
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