U.S. court allows state bans on gender-affirming care for adults in unprecedented ruling

"It is not irrational for a legislature to encourage citizens to appreciate their sex and not become disdainful of their sex by refusing to fund experimental procedures that may have the opposite effect. - Judge Julius Richardson, Trump appointee"

"The three judges on the panel - who'd all been appointed by Republican presidents (two by Trump and one by George Bush Sr.) -- had dissented in 2024 when the majority of the 4th Circuit declared the West Virginia law invalid. In the 35-page documentation of the ruling, the panel expressed similar justifications for the decision as they had in the 2024 case."

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld West Virginia's law restricting Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care procedures, becoming the first federal appeals court to enforce such legislation. A three-judge panel, all appointed by Republican presidents, overturned a 2024 lower court ruling that found the statute violated federal anti-discrimination protections and constitutional rights. The panel argued the law applies to specific procedures rather than specific individuals, therefore not constituting illegal discrimination against transgender people. The ruling follows the Supreme Court's 2024 decision upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming treatment for minors. The West Virginia law targets surgeries including chest reconstruction, genital alteration, and facial procedures designed to align physical characteristics with gender identity.

Read at Advocate.com