The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that state laws banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth are constitutional.
In a 6-3 opinion, the justices decided that issues around regulating gender-affirming care for minors should be up to “the people, their elected representatives, and the democratic process” — evoking the court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision.
“This carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the court’s opinion on U.S. v. Skrmetti. “The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound. The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best.”