A federal appeals court has upheld an Indiana law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children under the age of 18, one of numerous such laws passed by Republican-controlled states.
The 2-1 decision from the seventh US circuit court of appeals on Wednesday comes as the US supreme court prepares to hear a challenge to a similar law in Tennessee, which may ultimately determine whether all such state laws around the country can be enforced.
The seventh circuit had already allowed the law to take effect in February while it considered the challenge by families of transgender children and healthcare providers, reversing a lower-court order blocking it.
The Indiana attorney general, Todd Rokita, wrote on X that the decision was “a huge win for Hoosiers and will help protect our most precious gift from God – our children”.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.