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An injunction against Alabama statute prohibiting gender-affirming care for those under 19 was overturned by a federal appeals court on Monday, allowing the state to implement the prohibition.
A district court judge’s temporary injunction against the statute, which forbids the use of hormones and puberty-blocking medications to treat transgender youth, was overturned by a three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The trial date, which would determine whether the statute would be permanently suspended, was set by the judge for April 2.
The prohibition on gender-affirming care cannot be enforced until the injunction is formally lifted, which might take several days. Until then, it will stay in effect. This is the second time an appeals court has ruled in favor of care limits that affirm gender, which a growing number of conservative states have done.
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Examining Transgender Healthcare Laws
States have a compelling interest in defending minors from medicines, particularly those for which there is ambiguity about benefits, recent spikes in usage, and irreversible effects, the judges noted in their decision to reverse the injunction.
The notion that outlawing care that promotes gender affirmation protects children’s wellbeing is disputed by many medical organizations. Both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics disagree with the bans and maintain that the treatments are secure when carried out as directed.
Ban opponents Monday loudly criticized the decision. The decision comes after a number of other such rulings in recent weeks against prohibitions in other states, including one in June by a federal judge that invalidated a similar legislation in Arkansas, the first state to implement a ban.
Similar legislation limiting such care for children has been passed in at least 20 states. The Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act of Alabama, which was passed into law in 2022, makes the use of hormones or puberty blockers on anybody under the age of 19 a crime carrying a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
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Source: thehill.com
