Today, the Supreme Court of the United States is hearing oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case that challenges an active Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming hormone therapies for transgender people under 18 and encourages civilians to sue any health care provider assisting with safe, necessary, lifesaving health care to transgender youth.
This case serves as the first time the SCOTUS will hear arguments on whether transgender youth and their families can make their own medical decisions.
Dr. Jamila Perritt, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health and ob/gyn in DC responds:
“As a medical professional with decades of experience, I am deeply troubled by the implications of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) and the precedent it sets for undermining the health, safety, and autonomy of transgender youth. Laws that deny young people access to gender-affirming hormone care, a safe, effective, and medically necessary treatment backed by decades of evidence, puts their lives and well-being at risk.
Health care decisions should never be at the mercy of lawmakers…
“Health care decisions should never be at the mercy of lawmakers, driven by their own ideology, who disregard science, best practices, and the lived experiences of patients and providers. The Tennessee law in question is a direct assault on bodily autonomy, mirroring the tactics used in Texas’s abortion ban, where citizens are deputized to sue and criminalize health care providers for delivering lifesaving, essential care. This legislation is a warning designed to intimidate, isolate, and ultimately punish those who seek or provide necessary health care. These punitive laws are not new, but rather another manifestation of white supremacy ideology which seeks to control and usurp the rights and agency of transgender youth and those in support of their care and bodily autonomy.
…the provision of gender-affirming care to young people, including hormone therapies and puberty blockers, is rooted in evidence-based practices…
“The science has always been clear: the provision of gender-affirming care to young people, including hormone therapies and puberty blockers, is rooted in evidence-based practices that are backed by every major medical association, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society. Denying access to gender-affirming care results in severe and often irreversible consequences, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among trans youth. Bans on care are not protecting trans youth, but condemning them to unnecessary, preventable suffering.
“Make no mistake, the impact of SB 1 reaches far beyond Tennessee. If SB 1 is upheld, it will embolden further attacks on transgender youth and their families, further perpetuating a dangerous legislative landscape where regressive ideology has a stronger influence on health policy than science and the opinions of medical professionals. We cannot remain idle while dangerous and systemic transphobia is normalized into law.
“At Physicians for Reproductive Health, we are firm in our belief that all people, regardless of gender identity, age, locality, and socioeconomic status deserve access to comprehensive, compassionate health care. Trans youth deserve to be supported and protected, not targeted and criminalized by discriminatory laws that intend to erase their existence. They deserve to grow up and grow old in a world where their health, well-being, and autonomy are respected.
Their bravery reminds us that this fight is not just about their survival; it is about collective liberation…
“I am inspired by the courage and resilience of the trans youth at the forefront of this fight. I am also deeply saddened by the ways their lives and lived experiences are marginalized, vilified and punished. They should be building friendships, pursuing passions, and imagining their futures the way many of us were able to when we were young, not on the frontlines of a struggle for the recognition of their very humanity. Their bravery reminds us that this fight is not just about their survival; it is about collective liberation, bodily autonomy, and the right of every person to live authentically and freely.
“Gender-affirming care is health care. Health care is a basic human right. Every human is entitled to make informed decisions about their bodies with the support of their community and trusted providers. Period. Legislation should reflect the evidence, the science, reflect and honor the humanity of all people, prioritizing those at the margins of care who are most likely to experience oppression. I urge the Court to side with evidence, science, and the real needs of young people and their families and deem attacks on gender affirming hormone therapies for young people unconstitutional.”