Montana Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Ban on Transgender Care for Minors

The ruling upholds access to gender-affirming treatments for minors as legal challenges proceed, diverging from growing restrictions in other states and abroad.

• The Montana Supreme Court upheld an injunction against a state law banning gender-affirming care for minors, citing constitutional protections for medical privacy and decision-making.
• The law, known as Senate Bill 99, prohibits puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria and also restricts Medicaid funding for such care.
• The court's majority opinion emphasized that the law infringes on individualized medical decisions made by minors, their parents, and doctors, while one justice partially dissented regarding Medicaid restrictions.
• This decision contrasts with international developments, including the U.K.'s indefinite ban on puberty blockers for minors and similar legislative efforts in several U.S. states, such as Tennessee.
• The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a related Tennessee case by mid-2025, which could influence laws in over 20 states regulating transgender healthcare for minors.

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