Judge rules Georgia can reinstate ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender minors
A judge on Tuesday ruled that Georgia can re-enforce its ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender youth, putting on hold the judge’s earlier order to block the ban.
The ruling comes after a federal appeals court last month gave neighboring Alabama the ability to enforce a similar restriction and as Republican-led states across the country seek to ban sex reassignment treatments for people under 18. At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or prohibiting the treatment of minors as transgender, and most of these states have been sued.
Georgia state attorneys had asked Judge Sarah Geraghty to lift the injunction following a ruling in the Alabama case, which came a day after Geraghty’s initial decision.
Geraghty did not go so far as to overturn her earlier decision, but said it was not possible to uphold her restraining order after a three-member panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Georgia, ruled on Alabama’s law. Instead, the judge issued a stay of her injunction pending a possible retrial of the Alabama case before a larger panel of judges in the court.
PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER CHILDREN IN GEORGIA REQUEST GOVERNMENT BAN ON GENDER CHANGE SURGERY FOR MINORS
A judge on Tuesday ruled that Georgia can reinstate its ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender youth. (Adobe Stock)
Georgia Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Kara Richardson said in a statement that the agency welcomes the ruling and “will continue to fight to protect the health and welfare of Georgia’s children.”
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they were disappointed “especially by the families who are unable to access the care they need in Georgia or make medical decisions not based on the best interests of their children.” They also emphasized that their legal battle is not over yet.
Last month’s ruling in the Alabama case said the state could impose a ban on puberty blockers and hormones for underage transgender people.
Georgia Senate Bill 140 allows doctors to prescribe drugs that inhibit puberty, and children who are already on hormone therapy can continue it. However, new patients under the age of 18 must not start hormone therapy. The law, which went into effect on July 1, also bans most gender-affirming surgeries for transgender children.
BILL MAHER TELLS JOE ROGAN THAT GENDER OPERATIONS ARE HARMFUL AND CLAIMS KIDS GO TRANS TO SAY “F—DU” TO PARENTS
The ruling came after a federal appeals court allowed Alabama to enforce a similar restriction on sex reassignment treatment for children. (Getty)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Geraghty issued an injunction blocking Georgia’s law on August 20 after parents of transgender children and a community organization filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.
The judge said in her decision last month that the ban puts the transgender children seeking the injunction at “immediate risks,” including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Geraghty said the risks outweighed the damage an injunction would do to the state.
The 11th District judges who ruled on the Alabama law said states have “a compelling interest in protecting children from drugs, particularly those where there is uncertainty about the benefits, recent increases in use and irreversible.” there is an impact.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.