Activists react to SCOTUS ruling gender-affirming care ban for minors
Transgender activists are reacting to a new SCOTUS ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
The Justice Department announced July 9 it has sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in child transgender medical procedures.
The department indicated the subpoenas are part of investigations into possible healthcare fraud or false statements.
The move is likely to heighten fears for transgender youth who receive gender-affirming medical care, after a series of Republican-led states have banned such treatments for minors. It will likely be welcome news to those opposed to the care, including some who helped propel President Donald Trump to the White House based on the hot-button issue.
“Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Major American medical organizations including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support gender-affirming care for minors.
However, some European countries have increased restrictions in recent years. That includes England’s National Health Service, following a review that questioned the degree of evidence for certain treatments.
In a decision that divided the Supreme Court along ideological lines, the six conservative justices in June upheld a Tennessee state ban on transgender minors receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
