Another day, another federal judge blocks a duly-passed state law seeking to protect children from permanently disfiguring themselves over what many believe is just a fad.
Indiana lawmakers passed a measure barring children from getting life-altering transgender treatments and procedures. On Friday, however, Judge James Patrick Hanlon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana issued a preliminary injunction on Indiana SB 480 following a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of several parents who argued that the law was unconstitutional.
The injunction, though, does not halt the law’s restrictions on surgeries such as double mastectomies for girls identifying as boys or genital surgeries, the Daily Wire reported.
Meanwhile, Indiana officials vowed to fight the injunction in court. The statute was set to take effect July 1.
“The Court openly acknowledges evidence showing the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers and hormone therapy are uncertain and unsettled,” a spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told The Hill. “It also recognizes that the State has shown there are good reasons for regulating gender transition procedures for minors.”
“So, our office will continue to defend the democratically passed laws of the Indiana General Assembly, and we will continue to fight for the children,” the spokesperson said, adding that the federal ruling wouldn’t be the “end of the story.”
Indiana is among the 20 states that have taken steps to safeguard children from undergoing life-altering transgender procedures in recent years. Shortly after Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Indiana’s law, the ACLU challenged it and filed lawsuits against similar measures in other states.
Ken Faulk, the ACLU of Indiana’s legal director, was glad to see the injunction.
“Today’s victory is a testament to the trans youth of Indiana, their families, and their allies, who never gave up the fight to protect access to gender-affirming care and who will continue to defend the right of all trans people to be their authentic selves, free from discrimination,” Faulk said. “We won’t rest until this unconstitutional law is struck down for good.”
Advocates in favor of transgender procedures on children have adopted an assertive legal approach, resulting in the blocking of state laws that aimed to protect children from such procedures in several states, including Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida.
In Florida, Judge Robert Hinkle delivered a ruling against the state’s ban on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The ruling contained language that reflected an activist perspective.
“The elephant in the room should be noted at the outset,” he wrote in a 44-page ruling. “Gender identity is real. The record makes this clear.”
