A Kansas judge has temporarily blocked a law banning gender-transition treatments for minors, granting an injunction requested by parents of two teenagers who want to continue gender-affirming treatment.
District Judge Carl Folsom III sided with the parents, who argued they have the right to make medical decisions for their children. The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the plaintiffs, called the ruling 'an enormous relief'.
The law, passed by the Republican-controlled legislature over the Democratic governor's veto, prohibits hormone therapies and puberty suppressants for transgender youth. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach plans to appeal, calling the decision 'judicial activism'.
Judge Folsom wrote there is a 'substantial likelihood' the lawsuit will succeed, citing the state constitution's right to personal autonomy and parents' fundamental right to make medical decisions for their children.
