Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will allow Tennessee's ban on transgender operations and medicines for minors, a decision praised by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, whose office is fighting in federal court for a similar ban in Alabama.
The Tennessee law bans gender-affirming care, including hormone therapies, puberty blockers and "gender-affirming" surgery on minors.
A federal judge placed an injunction on the law in June. However, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the injunction on Saturday, allowing the ban to proceed. Further court challenges are expected.
On June 6, Alabama co-led a 17-state brief supporting the Tennessee law. Marshall has supported multiple states' efforts to implement restrictions on transgender surgeries and medicines for minors as Alabama continues to fight for its ban in federal court.
"The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a critical ruling in favor of Tennessee's right to enforce commonsense laws against giving kids experimental and life-altering sex changing drugs," Marshall said in a statement. "Proud to have led a 17-state brief in support of Tennessee's law, highlighting the critical difference between evidence-based science and the extreme gender ideology that is pushing these drugs and causing irreparable harm to our youth."
In April 2022, Gov. Kay Ivey signed VCAP (SB184) into law, which prohibits doctors in Alabama from performing transgender operations or prescribing cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers to individuals under 19.
VCAP went into effect on May 8, 2022, but was blocked by U.S. District Judge Liles Burke a few days later. The injunction by Burke came after multiple parties added themselves as plaintiffs in the case, including five transgender minors by way of their parents, the U.S. government and Kaitlin Toyama, an attorney-advisor with the civil rights division of the DOJ.
A three-judge 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel heard oral arguments for VCAP in November 2022. The 11th Circuit is currently considering Alabama's appeal of the district court's preliminary injunction order. The trial is set to begin in April 2024.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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