On Tuesday, a federal judge in Arkansas struck down a state law prohibiting irreversible, experimental transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors.
According to The New York Times, Judge James M. Moody Jr. of Federal Court in Little Rock said in an 80-page opinion that the law discriminated against transgender people and violated the constitutional rights of doctors in the state. Moody was nominated by Democrat President Barack Obama.
“Rather than protecting children or safeguarding medical ethics, the evidence showed that the prohibited medical care improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that, by prohibiting it, the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing,” Moody reportedly wrote in his ruling.
Moody added that “the various claims underlying the state’s arguments that the act protects children and safeguards medical ethics do not explain why only gender-affirming medical care – and all gender-affirming medical care – is singled out for prohibition.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, said in a statement that he planned to appeal the ruling, according to the Associated Press.
“I am disappointed in the decision that prevents our state from protecting our children against dangerous medical experimentation under the moniker of ‘gender transition.’ Unfortunately, Judge Moody misses what is widely understood across the United States and in the United Kingdom and European countries: There is no scientific evidence that any child will benefit from these procedures, while the consequences are harmful and often permanent. I will continue fighting as long as it takes to stop providers from sterilizing children,” Griffin said in a statement.
In his #SAFEAct ruling, Judge Moody misses what is widely known: There is no scientific evidence that any child will benefit from these procedures, while the consequences are harmful and often permanent. We will appeal to the Eighth Circuit. https://t.co/ecEvqp3d0v #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/KFhSYsOiXE
— Attorney General Tim Griffin (@AGTimGriffin) June 20, 2023
Late last year, England’s National Health Service issued a warning that most children who identify as “transgender” are going through a “transient phase,” which Townhall covered. The guidance reportedly stated that physicians should be open to “exploring all developmentally appropriate options” for children who are showing signs of gender dysphoria, keeping in mind that they may grow out of it. This came as it was announced that the NHS would shutter its only dedicated gender clinic for children.
Shortly after, Dr. Rittakerttu Kaltiala, one of Finland’s top experts on pediatric gender medicine, said in an interview that “four out of five” children who believe that their biological sex does not align with their gender identity will eventually grow out of their gender confusion in their teenage years.
"The young person tries out different identities and is prone to suggestion. In one situation he feels that he is one and in another another. It's normal in adolescence,” she said, adding that “it is not justified to tell the parents of young people experiencing transgenderism that without corrective treatment the young person is at risk of suicide without corrective treatment and that the danger can be countered with gender reassignment treatment.”