FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2024
MEDIA CONTACTS
ACLU of Kentucky: Angela Cooper, angela@aclu-ky.org, 502-759-2171
NCLR: Malkia Hutchinson, mhutchinson@nclrights.org, 202-734-3548
ACLU of Kentucky and NCLR Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Hear Transgender Youth Health Care Ban Case
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Supreme Court of the United States has decided to review the Sixth Circuit’s decision preventing transgender youth from receiving necessary medical care in Tennessee and Kentucky. The ACLU of Kentucky and National Center for Lesbian Rights, who represent Kentucky parents challenging Kentucky’s law, had successfully obtained an injunction stopping the healthcare ban from going into effect at the district court level.
“Our legal team is pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed to consider reversing the Sixth Circuit’s decision upholding these cruel and unconstitutional laws,” said ACLU-KY Legal Director Corey Shapiro. “Our clients and their doctors simply want to provide the best medical care that is necessary for these amazing youth. We remain optimistic that the Supreme Court will agree and ultimately strike down these bans.”
Kentucky’s law, also known as Senate Bill 150, prohibits the prescription of puberty blockers and hormone therapy to adolescents and young adults 18 years of age or younger, even if the young person, their parents, and their medical providers all agree that treatment is medically necessary and appropriate. The law also forces transgender youth who have been receiving care to stop following their prescribed treatment plan.
The Court has not formally decided to review the Kentucky law, but the outcome of the DOJ’s challenge to the Sixth Circuit’s decision will determine how our case moves forward. A favorable decision would restore care for transgender youth in Kentucky and Tennessee.“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court gives hope to families across the country. ” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter. “We are grateful the Supreme Court has agreed to consider this important issue and to ensure that state legislatures cannot selectively deny medically needed care to transgender youth.”
Our legal team is honored to represent the Kentucky families who are fighting so bravely for their children’s right to healthcare. The plaintiffs in the case are six transgender youth and their families, represented by the ACLU of Kentucky, NCLR, Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius LLP, and Jenner & Block LLP.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky is freedom’s watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislature and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms. For additional information, visit our website at: www.aclu-ky.org.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. www.nclrights.org.
