Groups attempt to block Missouri’s pursuit to ban gender transitions for children

A lawsuit filed in Cole County attempts to block the start of a transgender healthcare ban for Missouri children. 

Senate Bill 49 would prohibit Missouri doctors from prescribing or giving cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs or providing gender transition surgeries to children under the age of 18. 

It would also ban Medicaid from covering gender transitions for adults. 

The American Civil Liberties of Missouri and Lambda Legal say the bill denies transgender children access to “evidence-based gender-affirming medical care while stripping parents of their fundamental right to make medical decisions for their children.” 

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey says, “There are zero FDA approvals of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoria in children.”  

The bill is scheduled to become law on August 28.