{"id":2352296,"date":"2024-10-08T17:34:11","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/transgender-medicine-ban-for-minors-isnt-discriminatory-tennessee-tells-supreme-court-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-08T17:35:54","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T21:35:54","slug":"transgender-medicine-ban-for-minors-isnt-discriminatory-tennessee-tells-supreme-court-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/transgender-medicine-ban-for-minors-isnt-discriminatory-tennessee-tells-supreme-court-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Transgender medicine ban for minors isn\u2019t discriminatory, Tennessee tells Supreme Court &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftransgender-medicine-ban-for-minors-isnt-discriminatory-tennessee-tells-supreme-court-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2352296&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Tennessee Attorney General, Jonathan Skrmetti, has presented a legal brief \u200dto the Supreme Court in defense of the state\u2019s ban on transgender medical procedures for minors, arguing that the \u200blaw does not violate the equal protection clause\u200d of the 14th Amendment.\u2062 This law, officially known as Senate \u2063Bill 1, restricts access to \u200dpuberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgeries for gender transitions,\u2062 while still allowing these treatments\u2062 for adults and for rare\u200d cases of early-onset puberty in\u2064 minors. The Biden administration contends the law is discriminatory by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-appeals-court-upholds-tennessee-kentuckys-bans-on-transgender-treatments-for-children\/\" title=\"Federal Appeals Court supports bans on transgender treatments for children in Tennessee and Kentucky.\">denying transgender youth access<\/a> to similar medical treatments available \u2064to non-transgender minors, citing the 2020 Supreme Court\u200b ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County,\u200b which includes transgender status as a protected category.<\/p>\n<p>Skrmetti\u2019s brief asserts that the\u2064 law is not discriminatory, as it distinguishes between minors seeking treatments for gender transition and those\u2062 seeking medications for other medical purposes. The case revolves around significant debate \u200cregarding the medical efficacy and risks associated with gender transition treatments for minors, \u2064with Tennessee lawmakers referencing a recent extensive review \u2064by the UK&#8217;s National Health Service that calls into question the evidence supporting these procedures. The Supreme Court has yet to schedule oral arguments, but the case could be heard as early as December, marking a critical moment in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parent-group-sues-california-dem-ag-over-how-he-described-their-transgender-ballot-initiative\/\" title=\"Parent group sues CA Dem AG over transgender ballot initiative description\">legal landscape surrounding transgender rights<\/a> and medical treatment access.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Transgender medicine ban for minors isn&rsquo;t discriminatory, Tennessee tells Supreme Court<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1780092\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tennessee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Tennessee\">Tennessee<\/a> Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/23\/23-477\/327730\/20241008130915048_23-477%20Respondents%20Brief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"brief\">brief<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Supreme Court\">Supreme Court<\/a> on Tuesday laying out the core arguments to defend the state&rsquo;s ban on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/transgender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"transgender\">transgender<\/a> medical procedures for minors, providing the clearest rebuttal so far to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Biden administration\">Biden administration<\/a>&rsquo;s case that the law is discriminatory.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The date for oral arguments has not yet been set by the court, but as early as December, the nine justices could hear the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3161812\/red-state-bans-transgender-procedures-minors-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"groundbreaking case\">groundbreaking case<\/a> that would decide the fate of Tennessee&rsquo;s law restricting access to puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgeries for the purpose of gender transitions for minors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration says the law violates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/14th-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"14th Amendment\">14th Amendment<\/a>&rsquo;s equal protection clause because it denies puberty blockers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/very-complicated-dr-rachel-levine-dodges-sen-pauls-issue-about-sex-adjustments-for-children\/\" title=\"\u2018Very Complicated\u2019: Dr. Rachel Levine Dodges Sen. Paul\u2019s Issue About Sex Adjustments For Children\">cross-sex hormones<\/a> to transgender youth, &ldquo;while allowing non-transgender minors to access the same or similar procedures.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Skrmetti&rsquo;s case rests on the fact that the same medication can be prescribed for two very different clinical purposes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is not unconstitutional discrimination to say that drugs can be prescribed for one reason but not another. Weighing risks and benefits, States (and the federal government) draw age- and use-based distinctions for drugs all the time,&rdquo; attorneys for Skrmetti&rsquo;s office wrote.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identity, discrimination, and medicine<\/h2>\n<p>Senate Bill 1 was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) in March and was quickly challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a group of anonymous minors and parents, including at least one physician who treats underage patients with gender dysphoria.<\/p>\n<p>After the law was upheld in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Biden administration joined in the case and appealed to the nation&rsquo;s highest court.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The people of Tennessee, through their elected representatives, took measured action with Senate Bill 1 to protect kids from irreversible, unproven medical procedures,&rdquo; Skrmetti said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The Tennessee law does not prohibit doctors from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legislation-introduced-to-allow-adults-to-sue-doctors-who-perform-gender-transition-procedures-on-minors\/\" title=\"Legislation Introduced To Allow Adults to Sue Doctors Who Perform Gender Transition Procedures On Minors\">prescribing cross-sex hormones<\/a> for adults wishing to medically transition genders. It also does not prevent doctors from using puberty blockers to treat early-onset puberty in minors, a rare condition in which children enter puberty too young.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration also contends that the 2020 Supreme Court ruling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/19pdf\/17-1618_hfci.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Bostock v. Clayton County<\/em><\/a>  applies in this case because the precedent includes transgender status as protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<\/p>\n<p>Tennessee&rsquo;s brief also argues that SB 1 does not violate the 14th Amendment&rsquo;s equal protection clause because it does not discriminate on the basis of biological sex, a protected identity category, nor does it discriminate based on transgender status.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;SB1 contains no sex classification that warrants heightened review,&rdquo; the brief reads. &ldquo;It creates two groups: minors seeking drugs for gender transition and minors seeking drugs for other medical purposes. Each of these groups &lsquo;includes members of both sexes,&rsquo; so no facial sex classification exists.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Skrmetti&rsquo;s office further argues that the challengers to the law improperly convinced lower courts to give no deference to legislative findings about the risks and benefits surrounding transgender hormone treatment.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gender medicine on trial<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to the explicit question of discrimination in this case, Skrmetti&rsquo;s office has also asked the court to consider the debate over the medical efficacy of gender transition treatments for minors.<\/p>\n<p>Skrmetti told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that the state&rsquo;s lawmakers understand the significant lack of evidence to &ldquo;justify the serious risks these procedures present to youth and joined a growing number of European countries in restricting their use on minors with gender identity issues.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The brief references the comprehensive, nearly 400-page overview of research on gender transition medicine for minors produced this year by the United Kingdom&rsquo;s National Health Service, led by renowned British pediatrician Hilary Cass.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cass found that the evidence for hormone-based therapies to treat minors with gender dysphoria is &ldquo;built on shaky foundations&rdquo; and supported by &ldquo;remarkably weak evidence.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As the brief highlights,&nbsp;&ldquo;many of the European countries that pioneered these interventions have pulled back, restricting minors&rsquo; access based on safety and efficacy concerns.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s one-sided telling of the evidence misreports the medical landscape,&rdquo; wrote Skrmetti&rsquo;s office. &ldquo;And its over- and under-inclusivity arguments both ignore medical reality and fail to rebut SB1&rsquo;s substantial relation to Tennessee&rsquo;s compelling interests.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>More than 20 states have enacted similar bans on transgender medical treatment for minors, meaning the Supreme Court&rsquo;s judgment would likely have far-reaching ramifications when a decision is made, likely by June 2025.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court in the past has declined to weigh in on other cases involving transgender disputes, ranging from bathroom laws to biological males competing in female sports.<\/p>\n<p>This could mean that the precedent set by the court in the <em>Skrmetti<\/em> case may have more weight than solely regarding transgender medical issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1780092\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1780092\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tennessee defends minor transgender medicine ban in Supreme Court<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2998,"featured_media":2352297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tennessee-AG-jonathan-Skrmetti.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4762,7497,32275,6651,42588],"class_list":["post-2352296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-legislation","tag-minors","tag-supreme-court","tag-tennessee","tag-transgender-medicine"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tennessee-AG-jonathan-Skrmetti.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2998"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2352296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2352297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2352296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2352296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2352296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}