(Greene County, MO) — Missouri’s proposed transgender healthcare ban for children heads to a Greene County Court today.
The American Civil Liberties of Missouri and Lambda Legal are attempting to block the bill from becoming law on August 28.
“On its face, the law enshrines discriminatory practices in our health care system by specifically denying transgender Missourians under the age of eighteen access to evidence-based gender-affirming medical care while stripping parents of their fundamental right to make medical decisions for their children,” said Gillian Wilcox, Deputy Director of Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri. “Extreme politicians in Missouri, like the Attorney General, have made known their desire to ban gender-affirming care throughout the state. This legislation targets very specific, vulnerable populations – young people, those who access health care through Medicaid, and incarcerated individuals – to replace private medical decisions with the will of politicians in Jefferson City.”
The state Legislature passed and Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill this year that is designed to ban Missouri doctors from prescribing or giving cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to any person under 18 years old. Senate Bill 49, sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, would also ban physicians from doing gender transition surgery on minors.
The proposal would still allow minors to continue hormone therapy or puberty blockers if they were already prescribed them before the law takes effect.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will be defending the bill in court this week.
“We’re going to fight to defend the statute that was enacted by the people’s elected representatives,” said Bailey. “I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children and that’s what that’s all about.”
Bailey said, “There are zero FDA approvals of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in children.”
Hearings on the lawsuit are scheduled for today through Thursday.
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