The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Tennessee’s law
banning the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries on minors does not violate the
Constitution. Six of the nine justices agreed that the
law does not run afoul of the 14th Amendment’s Equal
Protection Clause.
Texas passed its own law prohibiting gender modification on children in 2023 just a few months after
Tennessee. The ruling likely ensures that the Texas
law – and the 26 other state laws like it – will survive
any future legal challenges.
The Court rejected the plaintiff’s argument that certain drugs, like puberty blockers, are used on minors
for a legitimate medical purpose and that banning
them for so-called gender modification was sex discrimination. That didn’t fly with Chief Justice Roberts
who wrote the opinion for the Court.
“Notably absent from their framing is a key aspect
of any medical treatment: the underlying medical concern the treatment is intended to address,” he wrote.
In other words, the state isn’t denying the use of a
certain drug based on the sex of the patient but rather
prohibiting its use in relation to a specific diagnosis.
And with good reason.
The U.S. Health and Human
Services Department just released a report concluding,
“Despite increasing pressure to promote these drastic medical interventions for
our nation’s youth, the review
makes clear: the science and
evidence do not support their use, and the risks cannot be ignored.”
Unfortunately, Texas liberals are still defending this
abhorrent practice. As we commend this significant
victory, we must stay vigilant.
Brian Phillips
Chief Communications Officer
