Indiana can now enforce a law that prohibits minors from seeking gender reassignment treatment after a federal appeals court ruled last year to vacate a judge’s temporary restraining order.
A three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago issued the decision Tuesday. Two of the justices were appointed by Presidents Reagan and Trump, and the third was appointed by President Biden.
The bill was signed by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb on April 5, 2023, and was scheduled to become law on July 1, 2023, but one month after it was signed into law by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. Previously blocked by a judge. .
U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon has issued an injunction, prohibiting minors from accessing hormone therapy and puberty blockers, and prohibiting Indiana doctors from disclosing transgender-related treatment to minors. Part of the law prohibiting contact with outside doctors was suspended. A law prohibiting sex reassignment surgery on minors remained in effect.
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The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled Tuesday that an Indiana law banning minors from undergoing gender reassignment treatment is enforceable after a district court judge issued an injunction last year. handed down the verdict. (St. Petersburg)
The ACLU of Indiana released a written statement Tuesday following the appeals court’s decision, calling the decision “heartbreaking” for transgender minors, their families and doctors.
“As we and our clients consider next steps, we want all transgender youth in Indiana to know that this fight is far from over,” the statement said. “We will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently repealed and Indiana is a safe place to raise all families.”
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita did not share those sentiments, praising the court’s decision in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday night.
“Our common sense state law prohibiting dangerous and irreversible gender reassignment procedures on minors is now enforceable following a recent order from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. “We are proud to have won the battle against the extremists who continue to impose themselves on our people for ideological and economic reasons,” he wrote.
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The ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit last year on behalf of four minors undergoing gender reassignment treatment and the doctors providing their treatment. The group argued that the ban violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection and deprives parents of the right to make medical decisions for their children.
The ACLU of Indiana argues in a lawsuit that a state law banning minors from undergoing gender reassignment treatment violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee and deprives parents of the right to make medical decisions for their children. did. (AP Photo/Daron Cummings)
Medical groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association maintain that gender reassignment treatment is safe for minors when done properly.
According to the Associated Press, representatives of the state’s only hospital-based gender health program at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis announced last year that doctors would no longer perform or refer minors for genital surgery. He told the lawmakers. The hospital is not involved in the lawsuit challenging the ban.
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Twenty-two other states have also enacted laws restricting or prohibiting gender reassignment treatment for minors. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. .
Bans in some of those states are stalled after a federal court ruled that Arkansas’ ban was unconstitutional and temporary injunctions were issued against the laws in Idaho and Montana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
