News and Events => Political and Legal News => Topic started by: Jessica_Rose on January 28, 2026, 05:35:57 PM Return to Full Version
Title: Missouri Supreme Court upholds ban on gender-affirming care for minors
Post by: Jessica_Rose on January 28, 2026, 05:35:57 PM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on January 28, 2026, 05:35:57 PM
Missouri Supreme Court upholds ban on gender-affirming care for minors
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/missouri-supreme-court-upholds-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/
John Russell (28 Jan 2026)
Missouri's Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors this week, along with a prohibition on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for anyone in the state.
As the Missouri Independent reports, the court's unanimous decision upholds a 2024 circuit court ruling in a case challenging Senate Bill 49. The law, signed by Gov. Mike Parson (R) in 2023, bans minors from accessing any form of gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. It also bans the state's Medicaid program from covering gender-affirming care for people of all ages.
The challenge against the law was brought by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of three families of transgender young people, medical providers, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, who argued that the law should be subject to heightened scrutiny, a more rigorous legal standard applied to cases involving the classification of individuals by specific characteristics like gender.
According to the Missouri Independent, the state Supreme Court rejected that argument, as had the lower court. While plaintiffs had argued that the law discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status, Judge Kelly Broniec wrote in the court's decision that S.B. 49 "classifies only based on medical use and age."
The court's reasoning echoes that in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year in United States v. Skrmetti, which held that Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth does not discriminate on the basis of sex or transgender status.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/missouri-supreme-court-upholds-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/
John Russell (28 Jan 2026)
Missouri's Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors this week, along with a prohibition on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for anyone in the state.
As the Missouri Independent reports, the court's unanimous decision upholds a 2024 circuit court ruling in a case challenging Senate Bill 49. The law, signed by Gov. Mike Parson (R) in 2023, bans minors from accessing any form of gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, and surgeries. It also bans the state's Medicaid program from covering gender-affirming care for people of all ages.
The challenge against the law was brought by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri on behalf of three families of transgender young people, medical providers, and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, who argued that the law should be subject to heightened scrutiny, a more rigorous legal standard applied to cases involving the classification of individuals by specific characteristics like gender.
According to the Missouri Independent, the state Supreme Court rejected that argument, as had the lower court. While plaintiffs had argued that the law discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status, Judge Kelly Broniec wrote in the court's decision that S.B. 49 "classifies only based on medical use and age."
The court's reasoning echoes that in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year in United States v. Skrmetti, which held that Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth does not discriminate on the basis of sex or transgender status.