Federal judge in Oklahoma clears the way for a ban on medical care for transgender young people

Source: Associated Press

Federal judge in Oklahoma clears the way for a ban on medical care for transgender young people

BY SEAN MURPHY
Updated 7:24 PM EDT, October 6, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge in Tulsa declined to stop a new law from taking effect that makes it a felony crime for health care workers in Oklahoma to provide gender-affirming medical care to young transgender people.

U.S. District Court Judge John Heil III issued his order late Thursday denying a motion for a preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiffs, who include a medical provider and family members of transgender children in Oklahoma. Heil wrote that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated that parents have a fundamental right to choose such medical care for their children.

“This an area in which medical and policy debate is unfolding and the Oklahoma Legislature can rationally take the side of caution before permitting irreversible medical treatments of its children,” Heil wrote.

The new law, which bans medical treatments like puberty-blocking drugs or hormones for those younger than 18, was passed by Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in May. Enforcement had been on hold under an agreement between the plaintiffs and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office is defending the law.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-ban-oklahoma-d794292d81050ac16a8cf2564e66277e