Kansas Judge Blocks Law Banning Gender-Transition Treatments for Youths
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- A Kansas state judge ruled that the state cannot enforce its ban on nonsurgical gender-transition treatments for minors, granting a temporary injunction against the law.
- The judge, Carl Folsom III, stated that the law likely violated parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children and found credible evidence that gender-transition treatments are safe and effective.
- Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach criticized the ruling as judicial activism and announced plans to appeal, arguing the judge created a new constitutional right not found in the state constitution.
- Governor Laura Kelly, who vetoed the law last year, praised the ruling, while the Republican-controlled Legislature had previously overridden her veto to enact the ban.
- The ruling blocks restrictions on hormone treatments and puberty blockers but does not affect the ban on gender-transition surgeries for minors.