The federal Bureau of Prisons will be required to continue providing hormones to "transgender" inmates in a new ruling by a federal judge on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Reagan-appointed judge made the ruling in response to lawsuits filed to block an executive order from the Trump administration, disrupting the ongoing "treatment" of "trans" inmates.
The judge argued that the executive order was arbitrary, as the administration did not properly address why the medical treatment of 'transgender' inmates is different than other mental health issues. He wrote:
In light of the plaintiffs’ largely personal motives for undergoing gender-affirming care, neither the BOP nor the Executive Order provides any serious explanation as to why the treatment modalities covered by the Executive Order or implementing memoranda should be handled differently than any other mental health intervention,
The judge further argued that the Bureau of Prisons does not dispute the idea that hormone "therapy" for these inmates prevents depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Further specification in the executive order is therefore required to ensure it will hold up against legal challenges.
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This, while a setback, still gives the Trump administration the ability to take further action on this issue. A more narrowly tailored executive order, and the citation of studies that prove that hormone replacement therapy does little in improving the overall health of a person with gender dysphoria in the long run, will strengthen the conservative position in this ongoing battle.
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