The US Supreme Court has ruled that Tennessee can limit or even fully ban gender transition care for young people.
The justices voted 6 to 3 that a Tennessee law limiting access to treatments such as puberty blockers for under-18s was not discrimination. The ruling will likely have a nationwide effect - 25 states have similar laws.
Three Tennessee transgender teenagers, their parents, and a doctor who provides transition medications had argued the 2023 Tennessee ban violated a US constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law by discriminating on the basis of sex.
The case, known as United States v Skrmetti, was the first time the court had taken up transgender healthcare.
The decision was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, who said that the law, known as SB1, does not discriminate against transgender people.
He also wrote that: "Tennessee concluded that there is an ongoing debate among medical experts regarding the risks and benefits associated with administering puberty blockers and hormones to treat gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, and gender incongruence. SB1's ban on such treatments responds directly to that uncertainty."
Treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies are used for a range of medical conditions. The Tennessee families who sued to overturn the law have said their children are being unfairly targeted because the law still allows minors with other medical needs to receive the medications.
They also argued that the ban violated a parent's right to access necessary care for their children.
Former President Joe Biden's administration had joined the case in support of the families.
After President Donald Trump's inauguration, his administration notified the court that it did not stand by the previous government's arguments, but that it would still allow to case to continue so the court could weigh in on the issue.
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