Appeals Court Allows Alabama To Protect Children

MONTGOMERY, AL – The U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that Alabama can fully enforce its 2022 law banning harmful puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and mutilating surgeries for children. In May 2022, a district court had temporarily blocked the state from enforcing portions of the law pertaining to puberty blockers and hormones. However, a unanimous three-judge panel reversed that decision allowing the law to take immediate and full effect.

Alabama’s “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act”, one of the most protective laws of its type in the nation, makes providing any of these procedures to minors a felony. The Appeals Court ruling only vacates the district court’s preliminary injunction while the legal challenge continues at the district court level. The district judge has scheduled a trial date for the case set to begin on April 2, 2024 to decide whether to permanently block or keep the law.