US Court upholds ban on gender-affirming care for kids
A ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state of Tennessee has been upheld by the US Supreme Court, in a setback to transgender rights.
The justices' 6-3 decision effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump's administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee's.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for trans minors doesn't violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same.
"This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field. The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound," Roberts wrote. "The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best."
The court's three liberal justices dissented from the ruling, among them Justice Sonia Sotomayor who wrote, "By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent."
The law also limits parents' decision-making ability for their children's health care, she wrote.
The decision comes amid other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. In April, Trump's administration sued Maine for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes in girls sports.
And the Supreme Court has allowed him to kick transgender service members out of the military, even as court fights continue. The president signed another order to define the sexes as only male and female.
Several states where gender-affirming care remains in place have adopted laws or state executive orders seeking to protect it. But since Trump's executive order, some providers have ceased some treatments. For instance, Penn Medicine in Philadelphia announced last month it wouldn't provide surgeries for patients under 19.
The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan Kressly, said the organisation is "unwavering" in its support of gender-affirming care.
Chase Strangio, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who argued the case for transgender minors and their families, called the ruling "a devastating loss for transgender people, our families, and everyone who cares about the Constitution."
Meanwhile, the acting chair of the federal agency that enforces workers rights acknowledged on Wednesday that transgender workers are protected under civil rights laws but defended her decision to drop lawsuits on their behalf, saying her agency must comply with Donald Trump's orders.
Andrea Lucas, who was first appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2020 and elevated to chair in January, spoke at her confirmation hearing at the Senate. Her nomination to serve another five-year term as an EEOC commissioner requires Senate confirmation, though whether she stays on as chair will be up to Trump.
Lucas, a strident critic of diversity and inclusion programs and proponent of the idea that there are only two immutable sexes, repeatedly declared that the EEOC is not independent and vowed to enthusiastically follow Trump's executive orders. Those include orders aimed at dismantling diversity and programs in the public and private sectors and declaring that the federal government would only recognise the male and female sexes.
with AP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
Trump launches mobile service while in office with AU$73-a-month plan
Don't miss out on the headlines from Smartphone. Followed categories will be added to My News. Donald Trump's business empire is poised to expand further with the launch of a new mobile phone service while he serves as President of the United States. The Trump Organisation announced this week it would enter the telecommunications market with T1 Mobile, a service that will piggyback on existing networks owned by American telecom giants. In a nod to Trump's political status, the company will offer customers the '47 Plan,' a reference to Trump being the 47th president. Unlike traditional carriers, T1 Mobile will operate as a virtual network provider, using infrastructure owned by Verizon, AT & T and T-Mobile to deliver its services. The plan will cost Americans $47.45 monthly (about AU$73) for 5G service, positioning it as more expensive than smaller providers like Boost Mobile or Cricket but cheaper than major US carriers. According to the company's website, T1 Mobile will also begin selling a smartphone in August for US$499 (approximately AU$768), which it claims will be 'proudly designed and built in the United States.' This telecommunications venture represents the latest of many Trump family business ventures. Earlier ventures include Trump Media and Technology Group, launched in early 2021, which owns Truth Social and plans to introduce new investment products. Last September, the family backed World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency platform selling dollar-linked stablecoins, while Trump personally launched his own crypto memecoin, $TRUMP, hours before his January inauguration. Trump administration officials have dismissed questions about conflict of interest as Trump seeks to make money while serving as president, in part by pointing to the transparent nature of his business ventures. However, critics in Congress and among watchdog groups argue that the ventures offer a means for foreign interests and other shadowy entities to purchase influence. Originally published as Trump launches mobile service while in office with AU$73-a-month plan Read related topics: Donald Trump
Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
Too much huffing from the AUKUS caucus
Those who say Albo should have been prepared to risk becoming a punching bag for Trump in the bear pit of the Oval Office seem to ignore the reality that such an outcome would be at least as bad for Australia as for the PM personally. A collapse in bilateral civility before the world's media could end up affecting trade, the ANZUS alliance, and Australian access to top-shelf education, medical science and digital technologies, let alone access to lucrative US markets.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Kyiv rescuers find more bodies after Russian attack
Emergency workers have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-storey Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighbouring buildings in a wide radius of damage. The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year. Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometre front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting. "This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war," the embassy posted on social platform X. Kyiv authorities declared an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. By dawn on Tuesday, residents of buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood could be seen huddled in ground-floor entry-ways to seek shelter from the ongoing drone assault. Drones were striking every few minutes within hundreds of metres of the building hit by the missile. The continuing attack forced firefighters and rescue teams to delay the rescue operation. In another development North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, in the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass. Emergency workers have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-storey Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighbouring buildings in a wide radius of damage. The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year. Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometre front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting. "This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war," the embassy posted on social platform X. Kyiv authorities declared an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. By dawn on Tuesday, residents of buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood could be seen huddled in ground-floor entry-ways to seek shelter from the ongoing drone assault. Drones were striking every few minutes within hundreds of metres of the building hit by the missile. The continuing attack forced firefighters and rescue teams to delay the rescue operation. In another development North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, in the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass. Emergency workers have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-storey Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighbouring buildings in a wide radius of damage. The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year. Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometre front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting. "This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war," the embassy posted on social platform X. Kyiv authorities declared an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. By dawn on Tuesday, residents of buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood could be seen huddled in ground-floor entry-ways to seek shelter from the ongoing drone assault. Drones were striking every few minutes within hundreds of metres of the building hit by the missile. The continuing attack forced firefighters and rescue teams to delay the rescue operation. In another development North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, in the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass. Emergency workers have pulled more bodies from the rubble of a nine-storey Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The blast blew out windows and doors in neighbouring buildings in a wide radius of damage. The attack overnight on Monday into Tuesday was part of a sweeping barrage as Russia once again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences. Russia fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the biggest bombardments of the war, now in its fourth year. Russia has launched a summer offensive on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometre front line and has intensified long-range attacks that have struck urban residential areas. At the same time, US-led peace efforts have failed to gain traction. Middle East tensions and US trade tariffs have drawn world attention away from Ukraine's pleas for more diplomatic and economic pressure to be placed on Russia. The US Embassy in Kyiv said the attack clashed with the attempts by the administration of President Donald Trump to reach a settlement that will stop the fighting. "This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war," the embassy posted on social platform X. Kyiv authorities declared an official day of mourning. Mourners laid flowers on swings and slides at a playground across the street from the collapsed building. By dawn on Tuesday, residents of buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood could be seen huddled in ground-floor entry-ways to seek shelter from the ongoing drone assault. Drones were striking every few minutes within hundreds of metres of the building hit by the missile. The continuing attack forced firefighters and rescue teams to delay the rescue operation. In another development North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, in the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass.
