Judge upholds Oklahoma ban on gender-affirming treatments for minors
A federal judge in Tulsa ruled Thursday that the Oklahoma Legislature was justified in banning gender-affirming medical care for minors, saying there was no fundamental right to the treatment and that a new state law did not discriminate against transgender adolescents.
U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III said the law, enacted in May, is rationally related to legitimate state interests because it regulates parental decision-making as to the Treatment Protocols based on the legislature s interests in protecting children, public health, and integrity of the medical profession.
This (is) an area in which medical and policy debate is unfolding, and the Oklahoma Legislature can rationally take the side of caution before permitting irreversible medical treatments of its children.
Heil denied a request from five transgender youths, their families and a physician to block enforcement of the law, ruling that they failed to show they would likely prevail on their constitutional claims.
The lawsuit was filed the day after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 613 into law. The law bars health care providers from knowingly providing gender transition procedures, including surgery, on minors, or drugs such as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.