Judge Upholds Missouri’s Ban on Transgender Procedures for Children

A Missouri judge has upheld the state’s law that bans transgender procedures for children.
“Regarding the ethics of adolescent gender-affirming treatment, it would seem that the medical profession stands in the middle of an ethical minefield, with scant evidence to lead it out,” Carter wrote.
“States do have abiding interest in protecting the integrity and ethics of the medical profession.”
The law also gives patients 15 years after their treatment ends or 15 years after their 21st birthday, whichever is later, to file a civil lawsuit against the medical provider. Patients who are harmed—defined as infertility caused by transgender procedures—may be awarded a minimum of $500,000 with no maximum, and the burden of proof is on the medical provider.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed the law in June 2023, saying that children lack the capacity to provide informed consent for irreversible treatments they might regret later in their lives.
Carter rejected that argument, saying that the state is acting reasonably to shield children from treatments that could severely disrupt their natural growth, even if the treatments are initiated by parents.
“There is a good reason that state and federal law does not allow minors to make certain decisions, and it stands to reason that parents might be statutorily prevented from taking a child to a care clinic and having a son or daughter undergo these medical and surgical treatments,” he wrote.
“Her testimony does not arise from any ideological or other bias,” Carter wrote of Reed. “In fact, she is married to a transgender individual.”
“The court’s findings signal a troubling acceptance of discrimination, ignore an extensive trial record and the voices of transgender Missourians and those who care for them,” they said in a joint statement.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey welcomed the ruling.