Staff Reports
On Tuesday, a federal judge struck down a law in Arkansas that prohibited minors from receiving chemical castration and sex-change surgeries as unconstitutional. The 2021 law also banned the referral of patients to other states for gender-affirming care. In response to the ruling, Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin announced his intention to appeal the decision to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the healthcare measures were an experiment and unconstitutional. The ruling’s logic was that years of clinical experience and scientific research discredit the right-wing’s position.
This bill was previously vetoed by then-Governor Asa Hutchinson, who claimed that it constituted government overreach and that healthcare decisions should only be between families and doctors. His opposition was subsequently dismantled by Tucker Carlson on his show, who suggested that 12-year-olds should not be allowed to undergo treatments that could significantly impact their lives. Hutchinson’s veto also drew praise from the ACLU and transgender advocates.
WATCH: Tucker Carlson and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson debate the governor's decision to veto a bill banning gender surgeries for minors that was later overridden by the Arkansas state legislature.
Gov. Hutchinson says that the bill "invokes the state" in medical decisions. pic.twitter.com/kwzGtTwtle
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 7, 2021
Hutchinson’s argument that hormone therapy was different from reassignment surgery was also debunked. Currently, Arkansas is one of 19 states that limit or prohibit health care that advocates for gender transition. But, the judge was clear in asserting that these prohibitions violate the due process, equal protection, and First Amendment rights of transgender people and their families. Republican Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed her disapproval of the ruling, tweeting that “only in the far-Left’s woke vision of America is it inappropriate to protect children.”
This ruling only applies to the Arkansas law and does not affect the laws of other states with similar provisions. Although Sanders signed legislation that allows people who received “gender-affirming care” when they were underage to file a malpractice lawsuit for up to 15 years after they turn 18, the current ruling demonstrated a need for an appeals court’s review to overturn it. The court ruling is a pivotal move to ensure programs which cater for transition-affirming healthcare and the rights of trans-minors.
Source: Red State
