The United States Supreme Court just issued a landmark ruling that will have resounding impacts on the rights of all trans people across America.
In the case of the U.S. v. Skrmetti, the court ruled to uphold a Tennessee law that restricts doctors from providing medical care like puberty blockers and hormones to trans youth—functionally a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors.
In the 6-3 ruling, the court ruled that a law like this that permits treatment for cis kids but not trans kids is not discriminatory. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the ruling, arguing that the law “exclude any individual from medical treatments on the basis of transgender status” but rather removes diagnoses like gender dysphoria from the range of treatable conditions.
All three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that the law specifically discriminates against trans youth. In the official dissent, she wrote: “By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.”
We break down how this law and ruling could have a resounding impact on healthcare access and human rights across America.
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