ST. LOUIS, Missouri (LifeSiteNews) — Last week, a circuit court judge in Missouri denied an injunction request filed by pro-LGBT individuals and groups, ruling that the state’s ban on child “sex changes” is constitutional.
The case involved SB 49, SB 236 and SB 164, which were later combined into SB 49, also known as the “Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.” The bill was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike Parson on June 7 and effectively prohibits all medical intervention for gender confused minors – including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries – as well as banning the use of state funds to support so-called “gender transitions” and taxpayer-funded “transitions” in state prisons.
Three families of gender-confused kids and certain medical professionals and organizations that commit and promote child mutilation had “challenge[d] the constitutionality” of the law, “request[ing] the Court issue a preliminary injunction preventing Defendants [Gov. Parson and his team] from enforcing the provisions of this law.”
“Petitioner has not shown probable success on its Constitutional challenges of the law,” Judge Steven R. Ohmer wrote in the August 25 decision. “The Court has examined the Missouri law… of the Missouri Revised Statutes, the evidence, legal briefs and arguments of counsel and finds that Petitioners’ position in regard to constitutional violations unpersuasive and not likely to succeed.”
Ohmer added that “petitioners have not clearly shown a sufficient threat of irreparable injury absent injunctive relief,” pointing out “the balance between the harm to Petitioners and injury to others does not clearly weigh in favor of granting a preliminary injunction.” According to the judge, granting the request does not point to “a clear public interest [being] furthered.”
“The science and medical evidence is conflicting and unclear. Accordingly, the evidence raises more questions than answers. As a result, it has not clearly been shown with sufficient possibility of success on the merits to justify the grant of a preliminary injunction.”
The judge also ordered a “status hearing” to take place, at which both counsels “must appear.” This hearing is scheduled for September 22.
Missouri Republican leaders have joined more than a dozen other states in banning child mutilation in the name of “gender affirmation.” In March, Attorney General Andrew Bailey responded to a whistleblower report of the hidden horrors of so-called “gender-affirming care” by announcing emergency regulations clarifying that such medical interventions on minors violate “state law on experimental gender transition interventions,” which he also described as “inhumane science experiments.”
Less than a month later, Bailey released the regulations, which included the first state restrictions on medical intervention for gender-confused adults. The guidance encourages “psychotherapy… rather than any chemical or surgical intervention” for gender confused individuals.
However, such measures are permitted only after very specific documentation and assessment requirements are met, with continued monitoring for improved gender dysphoria that may render a retreat from medical intervention. The order – which is effective from April 27, 2023 until February 6, 2024 – was issued prior to the governor signing SB 49, which now completely prohibits such intervention for children under the age of 18. The attorney general’s order still applies to gender-confused adults.
A total of 15 states have banned medical intervention for gender confused minors while three others have restricted the practice. Seven more have bans either blocked in court or remaining up for debate in one legislative chamber. Puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries have been found to lead to continued mental health issues as well as the development of physical problems, including increased suicidality, heart attack and stroke and infertility.
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