The U.S. Supreme Court on June 18 ruled in the case of U.S. v Skrmetti (PDF) to uphold a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. The Tennessee law prohibits medical treatments like puberty blockers or hormone therapy, and surgery for transgender adolescents under the age of 18 experiencing gender dysphoria, while allowing the same medications to treat minors suffering from other conditions. This decision has implications for more than 20 other states that have adopted similar bans.
In the 6-3 ruling, the court rejected the challenge brought by three transgender minors, their families, and a physician who had argued the Tennessee law violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the 14th Amendment. The majority said that the law is not subject to heightened review under the equal protection clause and that Tennessee had “plausible reasons” for restricting access to gender-affirming care (namely concerns about the health risks). In the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that the law does not discriminate on the basis of sex and that courts must give elected officials wide discretion to pass legislation when there is scientific and policy debate about the safety of medical treatments.
The AAMC had joined the American Academy of Pediatrics and more than 20 other national and state medical and mental health organizations in filing an amicus brief (PDF) in September 2024 that focused on ensuring that all adolescents, including those with gender dysphoria, receive the optimal medical and mental health care they need [refer to Washington Highlights, Sept. 13, 2024].
- Washington Highlights