On May 13, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke blocked part of an Alabama law that made it a felony to prescribe gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender minors, USA Today reported.
The Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, SB 184, made it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to prescribe or administer gender-affirming medication to transgender minors to help affirm their new gender identity.
Burke left in place other parts of the law that banned gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors, which doctors had testified are not done on minors in Alabama. He also left in place a provision that requires counselors and other school officials to tell parents if a minor says they think they are transgender.
According to a joint press release Windy City Times received from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Human Rights Campaign and the Southern Poverty Law Center, the ruling followed a two-day evidentiary hearing in which doctors and medical experts described the well-established safety and efficacy of medical care for transgender youth who experience gender dysphoria and the damage to children's health when such care is denied. The court received evidence confirming that almost two dozen major medical organizations recognize the established course of care for transgender youth.
GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi said, "This ruling means that parents of transgender children in Alabama will continue to be able to make the healthcare decisions that are best for their families. It is an extraordinary relief. Parents should not be punished for wanting to do what's best for their kids."