US: Court Allows Georgia Ban on Trans Youth Procedures

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, a Georgia judge ruled that the state's ban on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for transgender youth could proceed in light of a federal appeals court decision that ruled that Alabama had the right to enforce its ban on transgender procedures for minors.1
  • Two weeks ago, US District Judge Sarah Geraghty granted an injunction against Georgia's ban after ruling that the constitutional guarantees of equal protection would likely be violated if the law was enforced.2
  • In her ruling, Geraghty wrote that the potential harms transgender youth may experience will outweigh 'any harm the State will experience from the injunction.' The next day, the appeals court in Alabama ruled that there was no 'constitutional right' to 'transitioning medications.'3
  • Judge Geraghty wrote on Tuesday that the injunction will be set aside as the Alabama case progresses, as it rested upon legal grounds 'squarely rejected' by the appeals court and could create conflicting legal precedents.3
  • While the State of Georgia asked for the injunction to be vacated, Judge Geraghty declined to do so, instead pausing it pending a final decision in Alabama. At least 22 states have enacted similar restrictions on transgender youth procedures.4
  • The bill in question, Georgia Senate Bill 140, allows doctors to continue prescribing hormone therapy to minors already receiving them before the ban while prohibiting prescriptions for new patients under 18 after July 1. The bill also bans transgender surgeries for children.1

Sources: 1FOX News, 2Reuters, 3CNN and 4Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by San Diego Union. The Republican party has led a crusade against life-saving medicine for transgender youth. Their culture war has politicized settled science and good medical practices, with this new development being disheartening. Healthcare decisions are made by doctors, not politicians, and the medical consensus in favor of providing gender-affirming care for minors hasn't changed despite repeated and continued assaults against the transgender community.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Newsweek. There's nothing reasonable or humane about allowing a minor to undergo life-changing medical procedures in the name of appeasing gender ideologues. Behind the leftist brow-beating over transgender health lies an absolute dearth of high-quality evidence in favor of a laissez-faire 'affirming' model of care. States like Georgia were right to intervene and stop the triumph of ideology over science and the well-being of vulnerable children and youth.