The U.S. Supreme Court will review transgender medical procedures, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery, for minors.

“The case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, will be argued in the term that starts in October,” Fox News reports.

It’s the first time the high court will review a case regarding restrictions on transgender medical procedures for minors.

The case stems from the Biden administration challenging Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and transgender surgeries for minors.

Fox News reports:

Tennessee is one of 22 states that has measures banning such medical intervention for minors.

A federal appeals court had allowed the law in Tennessee and Kentucky to go into effect pending the outcome of ongoing litigation.

“Tennessee adopted a law that said, if you’re under 18, a doctor can’t provide you with hormone treatments or puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery, for gender purposes. And we were sued by the DOJ, the ACLU and Lambda Legal,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in an interview with Fox News last month. “We won in the Sixth Circuit, and now they’re trying to get the US Supreme Court to address that. But the bottom line is the Court of Appeal saw it was states have the authority to decide whether or not these treatments should be legal within their boundaries. And some states authorize them. Some states don’t. That’s the way our system works.”

Among those filing amicus briefs opposing the state law is actor Elliot Page. The Oscar-nominated star of “Juno,” “Inception” and “The Umbrella Academy” is one of 57 transgender people who joined in supporting the Biden administration’s suit.

“Supreme Court to consider restrictions on puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transgender surgery for minors this fall. The decision could set nationwide precedent when it comes to banning child sterilization and mutilation, and marks the first time SCOTUS will take up ‘gender affirming care’ for minors. Keep the pressure on! Together we can end this predatory agenda once and for all,” Gays Against Groomers wrote.

From the Associated Press:

At least 24 states have laws barring transgender women and girls from competing in certain women’s or girls’ sports competitions. At least 11 states have adopted laws barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s bathrooms at public schools, and in some cases other government facilities.

The nation’s highest court has only rarely taken up transgender issues. In 2020, the justices ruled that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

In 2016, the court had agreed to take up the case of a transgender student, backed by the Obama administration, who was barred from using the boys’ bathroom in his Virginia high school. But the court dropped the case after a directive advising schools to allow students to use the bathroom of their chosen gender, not biological birth, was scrapped in the early months of the Trump administration. The directive had been a key part of an appeals court ruling in favor of the student, Gavin Grimm.

In 2021, the justices declined to get involved in Grimm’s case after the appeals court again ruled in his favor. At the time, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas noted they would have taken up the school board’s appeal.

 

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