A federal appeals court has lifted an injunction on Arkansas’ 2021 law banning gender-affirming care for minors, allowing it to be enforced for the first time in four years. The 8-2 ruling by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision upholding a similar Tennessee law.
The Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act prohibits puberty blockers, hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria. It was blocked in 2021 by U.S. District Judge James Moody, who later ruled it unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The appeals court disagreed, finding the law regulates procedures, not people, and upholding its restrictions under rational-basis review.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin praised the decision, saying it protects children from “risky, experimental procedures.” The ACLU of Arkansas, representing four families who challenged the law, called the ruling “tragically unjust” and vowed to continue fighting it.
The SAFE Act’s sponsors, State Rep. Robin Lundstrum and Sen. Alan Clark, said they expect enforcement soon. Arkansas was the first state to enact such a ban; more than two dozen states have since passed similar laws.
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