Judge Blocks Part of Alabama Law Criminalizing Gender-Affirming Care
preliminary injunction by U.S. District Judge Liles Burke in the case of Rev. Eknes-Tucker v. Ivey prevents Alabama from implementing the ban on prescribing gender-affirming treatment including providing puberty blockers and hormone treatment to trans minors until a lawsuit against the law progresses.Alabama Gov.
Kay Ivey signed the bill into law last month. According to the Associated Press, she said the injunction was a “temporary legal roadblock.The law, called the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, made it a felony for medical professionals to provide gender-affirming medication to trans minors.
It also carried a prison sentence of up to 10 years. It's the first state to pass such a law.In his ruling, Liles, who former President Donald Trump appointed in 2017, wrote, “Defendants produce no credible evidence to show that transitioning medications are ‘experimental.’ While Defendants offer some evidence that transitioning medications pose certain risks, the uncontradicted record evidence is that at least twenty-two major medical associations in the United States endorse transitioning medications as well-established, evidence-based treatments for gender dysphoria in minors.”Liles said that Alabama’s “proffered justifications are hypothesized” and “not exceedingly persuasive.” He also added that there is no evidence of medical professionals pushing for gender-affirming medication for minors.
Over 20 medical organizations came out against the law, encouraging Burke to block it. The Rev. Paul Eknes-Tucker, senior pastor of Pilgrim Church in Birmingham, four Alabama parents, and two health care providers filed the suit against the law in April.
