Georgia families make last-gasp attempt to block ban on gender-affirming care
Georgia’s transgender children and their families are hoping a last-minute lawsuit will thwart the state’s proposed ban on gender-affirming medical treatments set to kick in Saturday.
The families of four transgender girls from Atlanta and Athens filed the suit in federal court Thursday, two days before the law is set to go into effect. The girls, ranging from 10 to 12 years old, are in different stages of treatment and are waiting for the right time to start hormone treatment. TransParent, a group for parents of transgender children with chapters in 10 states, is also a plaintiff.
If the law goes into effect on July 1 as planned, health care providers in Georgia will not be able to prescribe estrogen for transgender girls or testosterone for transgender boys until they turn 18. Doctors can prescribe such treatments for other reasons. Children who have already began hormone treatment will be able to continue,
Attorneys for the families argue that amounts to a textbook case of sex discrimination under the 14th Amendment because the patient’s sex at birth determines whether they will be restricted from the care their doctor recommends.
“The Ban infringes parents’ fundamental right to make medical decisions in the best interests of their children, and it singles out transgender minors for the denial of essential medical care, contrary to the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment,” the plaintiffs argue in their court filing.
https://georgiarecorder.com/brief/georgia-families-make-last-gasp-attempt-to-block-ban-on-gender-affirming-care/