Families and Doctors Launch Lawsuit Challenging Alabama’s Youth Transgender Treatment Ban
Two doctors and the families of two transgender teens have initiated lawsuits against Alabama in response to the new, restrictive anti-LGBTQ+ measures that it passed last week.
Two families of transgender teenagers, known as Roe and Doe to protect their respective identities, and two doctors have initiated a lawsuit against the state of Alabama, which passed two restrictive measures last Friday targeting LGBTQ+ youth.
Alabama’s Republican legislature passed a bill that makes it a felony for a doctor to administer gender-affirming health care to minors, in addition to a second bill, which bans K-12 students from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
Much like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the measure also bans classroom discussions about gender identity in elementary schools. It also mandates that minors disclose to their parents if their “perception of his or her sex is incosisentent with the minor’s sex.”
Gov. Kay Ivey (R) also signed Senate Bill 184 into law last week, which makes it a class C felony for state medical professionals to provide hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers, and gender-affirming surgery to people 18 years and younger. Those who violate the law could face up to 10 years in prison.
In response to the new set of rules, the ACLU of Alabama announced plans on Friday to file a legal challenge against the measure.
“By signing SB 184 Governor Ivey has told kind, loving, and loyal Alabama families that they cannot stay here without denying their children the basic medical care they need,” Dr. Morissa Ladinsky, a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed Monday said in a statement. “She has undermined the health and well-being of Alabama children and put doctors like me in the horrifying position of choosing between ignoring the medical needs of our patients or risking being sent to prison,” Dr. Ladinsky added.
Additionally, NBC reported that more than 19 states have proposed new measures resembling Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and has drawn considerable scrutiny from President Joe Biden, Democrats, and the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.
Similarly, lawmakers in Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas, have proposed bills seeking to prohibit schools from discussing topics of gender identity or sexual orientation in certain grades and sex education classes.
Joining those states by proposing similar measures are a spate of others, including: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
Some of the measures reportedly encourage penalties for school officials who incorporate gender identity teachings into their curricula.
Earlier this year, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem banned transgender women and girls from participating in girls’ teams in school sports. 14 other states have similar bans in place, inhibiting transgender students from playing sports consistent with their gender identity.