COLUMBIA, Missouri: A Missouri court recently upheld a new state law that bans certain gender-affirming health care for minors, marking a significant victory for supporters of the ban as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a related case next week.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that the state is the first to successfully defend a law restricting gender-affirming care for minors at the trial court level. Bailey, who originally aimed to prohibit minors’ access to such care through a rule change but abandoned the effort after the law was passed, has taken responsibility for defending the legislation in court.
This announcement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to review a similar Tennessee law that limits puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The court’s decision could have far-reaching implications, as several Republican-led states, including Missouri, have passed various restrictions related to transgender rights, including school sports, bathroom access, and drag performances.
Leading medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association, oppose these bans, arguing that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and beneficial when administered appropriately. Nevertheless, at least 26 states, including Missouri, have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.
Federal judges have blocked similar bans in Arkansas and Florida, though the Florida ruling remains on hold. Enforcement of a Montana ban has been temporarily suspended, while New Hampshire’s restrictions are set to take effect in January 2025.
Missouri’s law prohibits gender-affirming surgeries for individuals under 18 and bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors who had not started them by August 2023. The law, set to expire in August 2027, allows most adults to access gender-affirming care but excludes Medicaid coverage for such treatments.
Plaintiffs, including families of transgender teenagers, argued that the law unjustly denies medically necessary treatments to transgender minors while allowing other children to receive similar procedures and medications. However, Wright County Circuit Judge Craig Carter ruled in favor of the law, citing what he called “an almost total lack of consensus” on the medical ethics surrounding treatment for adolescent gender dysphoria.
The plaintiffs, represented by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri, announced plans to appeal the decision. In a statement, they criticized the ruling, calling it a failure to uphold compassion and equal access to health care.
Missouri now joins several states that have enacted restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.