On Tuesday, a federal court has now reportedly declared that Arkansas’ prohibition on sex-change procedures and treatments for minors was unconstitutional.
The statute, which would have prohibited medical professionals from delivering hormones, puberty blockers, and sex-change procedures to minors, was permanently blocked by U.S. District Judge Jay Moody’s decision, which came into effect in 2021.
According to Moody, the statute infringed on the equal protection and due process rights of transgender youth.
He mainly relied on the substantive due process approach, which holds that the due process clause safeguards rights that are not guaranteed by any other provision of the U.S. Constitution.
The judge further concluded that by prohibiting doctors from sending patients to other providers, the 2021 statute infringed on their First Amendment rights.
The landmark decision might serve as a model for 19 other state statutes that are now being challenged and attempt to shield youngsters from sex-denial therapies.
This is the first law of its kind to be declared unconstitutional, despite the fact that other judges have temporarily halted similar laws, such as those in Indiana and Alabama.
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