A federal appeals court allowed Tennessee’s and Kentucky’s laws against transgender treatments for minors to take effect.
The decision rejected an injunction that would have allowed transgender surgeries and puberty blockers to continue.
“The concept of gender dysphoria as a medical condition is relatively new and the use of drug treatments that change or modify a child’s sex characteristics is even more recent,” the court ruled.
“Prohibiting citizens and legislatures from offering their perspectives on high-stakes medical policies, in which compassion for the child points in both directions, is not something life-tenured federal judges should do without a clear warrant in the Constitution,” the decision added.
The document noted, “No one in these consolidated cases debates the existence of gender dysphoria or the distress caused by it. And no one doubts the value of providing psychological and related care to children facing it. The question is whether certain additional treatments—puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries—should be added to the mix of treatments available to those age 17 and under.”
The Attorneys General of the two states celebrated the victory, with Tennesee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti tweeting on Thursday, “This evening, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s preliminary injunction in L.W. v. Skrmetti. As a result, Tennessee’s law that protects children from irreversible gender-related medical interventions remains in effect.”
Reporting from Just the News:
The ACLU vowed to continue the fight, perhaps all the way to the US Supreme Court. “Denying transgender youth equality before the law and needlessly withholding the necessary medical care their families and their doctors know is right for them has caused and will continue to cause serious harm,” the group said.
