On Aug. 21, a three-judge panel on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court judge's temporary injunction against Alabama's law banning gender-affirming care for people under 19, The Hill reported.
The development allows enforcement of the ban (which prohibits the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat trans children) to take effect in the state.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the ruling represents a "significant victory for our country, for children, and for common sense," adding, "The Eleventh Circuit reinforced that the State has the authority to safeguard the physical and psychological well-being of minors."
However, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics are among the organizations that oppose bans on such care, concluding that the treatments are safe if administered properly.
The Alabama families challenging the law in Boe v. Marshall are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, The Southern Poverty Law Center, and Human Rights Campaign, who issued a statement.
In part, the statement read, "This is a deeply disappointing decision that is difficult to reconcile with the 11th Circuit's prior rulings and with the Supreme Court's clear guidance that discrimination because a person is transgender is sex discrimination. Our clients are devastated by this decision, which leaves them vulnerable to what the district court—after hearing several days of testimony from parents, doctors, and experts—found to be irreparable harm as a result of losing the medical care they have been receiving and that has enabled them to thrive.
"While this is a setback, we are confident that it is only a temporary one. Every federal district court that has heard the evidence presented in these cases has come to the same conclusion: these medical treatments are safe, effective, and lifesaving for some youth, and there is no legitimate reason to ban them. … This case is far from over, and we will continue to aggressively seek legal protection for these families."
—Andrew Davis
