Youth Gender-Affirming Care Ban Upheld by Missouri’s Top Court

Missouri can enforce a ban on the prescription of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery for transgender minors, the state’s top court said Tuesday.

In a ruling mirroring recent US Supreme Court and appeals court decisions, the Missouri Supreme Court said the state provision didn’t discriminate on its face against the minor plaintiffs on the basis of their sex or transgender status. Rather, the act “classifies only on age and medical use.”

The measure also was rationally related to the state’s legitimate interest in protecting youths from unproven medical treatments, Judge Kelly C. Broniec added. The court affirmed a ...