SCOTUS Rules Idaho Can Ban Sex-Change Treatments For Children

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that Idaho can criminalize the provision of sex-change treatments to minors, Reuters reports. The Court was divided in its ruling, with the three Democratic-appointed justices dissenting.

The case arose after Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the Vulnerable Child Protection Act, prohibiting treatments including puberty blockers, hormones and mastectomies that are “inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.” The Act provides that those who violate the law can face up to 10 years in prison.

The Act was due to come into effect on Jan. 1 but was blocked by US District Judge Lynn Winmill who determined the legislation violates the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment which guarantees equal protection under the law, Reuters reports. The District court issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the Act after two transgender girls aged 15 and 16 respectively, and their parents, sued the state claiming the law is unconstitutional as it discriminates based on transgender status and sex.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador appealed to the US Supreme court after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift the District court’s injunction.The Supreme Court’s ruling allows Idaho to prohibit sex change treatments for all minors in the state, except the plaintiffs, Reuters said.

“The state has a duty to protect and support all children, and that’s why I’m proud to defend Idaho’s law that ensures children are not subjected to these life-altering drugs and procedures,” Labrador said in a statement after Monday’s ruling.

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