Trial Challenging Missouri's Ban on Essential Health Care for Transgender Missourians Concludes
Jefferson City, MO - October 4, 2024 - Yesterday, the two-week trial concluded in a lawsuit challenging Missouri's SB 49, a law banning transgender adolescents in Missouri from receiving gender-affirming medical care and banning Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming medical care for transgender people of any age. The law would penalize healthcare professionals who provide such care to minors by the loss of their medical licenses.
Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Missouri and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP issued the following joint statement:
"Over the past two weeks, we presented extensive testimony from experts across many disciplines who spoke to the safety, effectiveness, necessity, and evidence base of gender-affirming medical care for transgender adolescents and adults. More importantly, the Court heard the experiences of the parents of transgender youth, transgender adults who received gender-affirming medical care at different stages of life, a transgender minor, and from some of Missouri's most dedicated medical providers who are an essential part of their community.
"In their rush to score political points, the state has taken the drastic and unjustifiable step of categorically banning this care and its coverage under Medicaid, and as the Court heard, the state's defense of this decision is built on misinformation and misapprehension. We are thankful to the Court for the opportunity to put on our case and to hear from those most impacted by this discriminatory law. We look forward to the Court's decision."
Background:
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed an emergency rule on April 13, 2023, seeking to impose severe restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender people of all ages. Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Missouri, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP filed Southampton Community Healthcare v. Baileyon behalf of Southampton Community Healthcare, Kelly Storck, Logan Casey and the families of two young transgender people, seeking a temporary restraining order to block implementation of the rule.
On May 16, 2023, Attorney General Bailey rescinded the rule after the court issued a temporary restraining order blocking its enforcement. Meanwhile, on May 10, the Missouri legislature passed SB 49 and Governor Parson signed the bill behind closed doors on June 7.
On July 25, 2023, Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Missouri, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP filed Noe v. Parson in Cole County Circuit Court to block the implementation of SB 49, which would prevent transgender adolescents in Missouri from accessing evidence-based gender-affirming medical care. The legal advocates filed the challenge to SB 49 on behalf of three families of transgender young people, medical providers, and the organizations PFLAG National and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality.
In August 2023, the Cole County Circuit Court judge denied the motion for a preliminary injunction and allowed the ban to take effect.
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and policy work. www.lambdalegal.org
ACLU of Missouri: Tom Bastian, tbastian@aclu-mo.org
The ACLU of Missouri preserves and expands the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all people as guaranteed in the Missouri and U.S. Constitutions, with a focus on the Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments. aclu-mo.org
About Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
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