Federal Court Upholds Ban on Gender Change for Minors

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that a ban on gender changes for children does not infringe on parental rights. This decision follows a similar ruling from another court just days earlier.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Arkansas’s prohibition on gender change, stating it significantly obstructs the process for minors seeking to change their gender. The same conclusion was reached regarding Oklahoma laws, as noted in a ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on August 6th.

Both cases reference the Supreme Court’s decision in US v. Skulmetti, which upheld similar laws in Tennessee. Notably, the appeals court dismissed custody claims that the Supreme Court did not address.

“Two parallel flows in the history and traditions of this country: the state can ban medical care for both adults and children, and parents do not have an automatic right to exempt their children from such regulations,” the court observed. The ruling pointed out that “our country does not have a deeply rooted history of positive access to health care that the government can reasonably prohibit, regardless of parent-child dynamics.”

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin expressed his approval of the ruling, stating, “I commend the court’s decision and am pleased that Arkansas children will be protected from the experimental procedures.”