Worthy Christian News > US News > Court of Appeals upholds Alabama law banning transitioning surgeries/treatments for minors

Court of Appeals upholds Alabama law banning transitioning surgeries/treatments for minors

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A US Court of Appeals has unanimously ruled that Alabama is entitled to ban sex-change surgeries and hormonal transitioning treatments for minors, the Christian Post (CP) reports. In its ruling Monday, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ended a district court’s block on Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act.

The appeal’s court’s decision was authored by Trump appointee Circuit Judge Barbara Lagoa, who said the district court had “abused its discretion in issuing this preliminary injunction because it applied the wrong standard of scrutiny,” CP reports.

“The plaintiffs have not presented any authority that supports the existence of a constitutional right to ‘treat [one’s] children with transitioning medications subject to medically accepted standards,’” Judge Lagoa wrote. “Because the district court erred by reviewing the statute under a heightened standard of scrutiny, its determination that the plaintiffs have established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits cannot stand. We therefore vacate the preliminary injunction.”

Welcoming the ruling, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a press statement: “The Eleventh Circuit reinforced that the State has the authority to safeguard the physical and psychological wellbeing of minors, even if the United States Attorney General and radical interest groups disapprove.”

“Alabama takes this responsibility seriously by forbidding doctors from prescribing minors sex-modification procedures that have permanent and often irreversible effects. This is a significant victory for our country, for children, and for common sense,” Marshall added.