Alabama ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth takes effect

May 8 (Reuters) - An Alabama regulation that makes it a felony to offer gender-affirming medical therapy to transgender youth went into effect on Sunday while a federal judge weighs whether or not to grant a motion to place a temporary hold on it.

The legislation makes it a criminal offense punishable by as much as 10 years in jail to offer puberty blockers, hormones and medical procedures to transgender youth under 19.

Governor Kay Ivey had signed the bill on April 8. A similar however not as far-reaching law in Arkansas was blocked by the courts last year earlier than it might go into impact.

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After a two-day hearing concluded on Friday, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke gave no indication on when he'll rule on the motion searching for to temporarily halt enforcement of the ban whereas a lawsuit is pending, in accordance with local media reports.

The lawsuit, introduced by organizations together with the Human Rights Marketing campaign and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, argues the ban would cause "rapid and irreparable" harm to the plaintiffs and that the measure violates several of their constitutional rights.

The teams filed the lawsuit on behalf of fogeys of four Alabama transgender youth, two physicians and a minister. The U.S. Division of Justice has joined the case, saying the Alabama law "violated the equal safety clause" of the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment.

Mainstream medical and mental well being professionals say gender-affirming care saves lives by reducing the already high danger of depression and suicide among trans youth.

Gender-reassignment surgery for individuals below 18 is extraordinarily rare and would take place solely after years of treatment in instances where the affected person's wishes are unwavering, based on medical experts.

Transgender rights have emerged as a wedge difficulty within the culture wars ahead of the November midterm congressional elections. Republican lawmakers have launched lots of of bills throughout state legislatures, nearly all of them directed at trans youth.

Many Republicans and conservative activists promote the laws as safeguards for kids and parental rights. Opponents, including Democrats and LGBTQ organizations, say the legislation is harmful, unnecessary and would have dire consequences on an already susceptible population.

In accordance with a recent survey by the Trevor Mission, a non-profit focused on suicide prevention amongst LGBTQ youth, 93% of transgender and nonbinary youth mentioned they have anxious about trans individuals "being denied entry to gender-affirming medical care due to state or local legal guidelines."

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Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Leslie Adler

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