Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce ban on sex change butchery on children
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Idaho's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors may go into effect, overruling a lower court while the long-term constitutionality of the state's law is still being litigated.
Idaho Attorney General Ra�l Labrador asked the high court to allow the ban to go into effect in February, after a federal judge in Idaho temporarily paused the law in December. Judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently denied Labrador's request that they overrule the lower court judge, which led him to appeal to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the law to go into effect while a lawsuit works its way through the legal system. The court's three liberal judges dissented with the decision.
Idaho's law makes it a felony to provide puberty blockers, hormone treatments or transition-related surgeries to children.
While many major medical organizations recommend hormone treatments and other health care for minors with gender dysphoria, conservatives in states around the country have pushed to ban the care.
The ruling on Wednesday allows the two Idaho transgender teenagers who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit to continue receiving care, but will prohibit minors not part of the lawsuit from doing so in Idaho.
"I've witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of drugs and procedures used on children with gender dysphoria," Labrador said in a statement.
The Republican attorney general said people with gender dysphoria deserve support and medical care "rooted in biological reality."
"Denying the basic truth that boys and girls are biologically different hurts our kids," he said.
April
15
(Reuters)
-
The
conservative-majority
U.S.
Supreme
Court
on
Monday
let
a
Republican-backed
law
in
Idaho
that
criminalizes
gender-affirming
care
for
transgender
minors
broadly
take
effect
after
a
federal
judge
blocked
it
as
unconstitutional.
The
court
granted
Republican
Idaho
Attorney
General
Raúl
Labrador's
request
to
narrow
a
preliminary
injunction
issued
by
U.S.
District
Judge
Lynn
Winmill,
who
ruled
that
the
law
violated
the
U.S.
Constitution's
14th
Amendment
guarantees
of
due
process
and
equal
protection
under
the
law,
while
the
state
pursues
an
appeal.
The
Supreme
Court's
order
allows
the
state
to
enforce
the
ban
against
everyone
except
the
plaintiffs
who
challenged
it.
Five of the court's six conservative justices concurred with the decision to grant Labrador's request. Its three liberal justices dissented. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts did not publicly indicate how he voted.
Photo Credit: Public Advocate Amy Comey Barrett Singers