Judge blocks Kansas ban on gender-transition treatment for minors

NEW YORK, May 16 (Reuters) – A judge in Kansas has temporarily blocked a law banning gender reassignment treatments for minors in the state.

State District ‌Judge Carl Folsom III granted the preliminary injunction requested by the parents of two teenagers who wanted to proceed with gender reassignment treatment with medication. Folsom’s decision halts enforcement of a recently approved state law banning such treatments.

In his ruling Friday, the judge sided with the parents of the teens who sued to halt the law, saying they had the right to make decisions about their children’s health, according to court documents and a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the plaintiffs.

“This is a tremendous relief for our clients and families across the state of Kansas,” ACLU attorney Harper Seldin said in a statement.

According to local media reports, Kansas Attorney General Kris W. Kobach plans to appeal the decision. If Folsom’s injunction is approved, it will remain in effect for the duration of the case.

Kobach, a Republican, called the decision “a striking example of judicial activism,” according to The New York Times.

The Kansas law, which the Republican-controlled state legislature passed in January over a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, bans gender-affirming medical treatments such as hormone treatments and puberty suppressors for transgender youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that states could ban gender-affirming care for minors, the lawsuit that led to Friday’s injunction argues that the Kansas law violates the state constitution.

Folsom, Kelly’s appointee, sees a “substantial likelihood” that the case will succeed.

“Specifically, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs are likely to prevail based on the right to personal autonomy set forth in Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights and the fundamental right of a parent to make medical decisions for their child,” Folsom wrote. he wrote.

(Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Sergio Non and Cynthia Osterman)