Gun safety groups urge SCOTUS to strike down ban on gender-affirming medical care

WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS Law Center, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Team ENOUGH, and March For Our Lives, responded to oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti  before the United States Supreme Court. This case holds serious implications for the mental well being of young people in Tennessee, which has a direct correlation to the risk of gun violence. The groups filed an amicus brief urging the court to strike down a Tennessee law that makes it unlawful for doctors to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones as part of gender-affirming medical care, even when individual patients, their parents, and their healthcare providers agree that such care is medically necessary.  

“Laws that deny gender-affirming medical care endanger youth and put them at risk of suffering from gun violence, including suicide. At oral argument today, Justice Sotomayor highlighted this suffering with examples of the harm children may suffer when denied this medical care. We urge the Justices to support trans youth and to strike down bans on gender-affirming medical care,” said Billy Clark, Senior Litigation Attorney at GIFFORDS Law Center. 

“The Supreme Court is hearing today a case on whether to withhold lifesaving medical care to children. It’s that simple. When people receive gender-affirming care, the likelihood that they attempt suicide drops dramatically. When trans individuals have easy access to a firearm, as happens in far too many states with lax gun safety laws, the chances that their attempts will be successful soar. We deserve the freedom to be who we are, and the Court should not trample on that fundamental right. We will keep fighting for the rights of our trans siblings, wherever they are—regardless of how oral arguments went or what the justices rule,” said Sarayu Bethamcherla, Judicial Advocacy Associate at March for Our Lives.

“As Justice Sotomayor highlighted at today’s oral argument, this case is a grim reminder of the devastating impacts this heinous piece of legislation would have on the mental and physical wellbeing of transgender youth — heightening the risk of gun violence for young people in Tennessee,” said Shira Feldman, Director of Constitutional Litigation at Brady. “Brady is committed to addressing the core drivers of gun violence through a public health approach. That starts with protecting the dignity, freedom, and mental well-being of Tennessee’s young people — a simple act that we know can reduce the risk of gun violence — just as much as other policies like enhanced background checks and extreme risk laws. The Supreme Court has played a critical historical role in protecting the constitutional rights of groups that have been at various points disfavored in our society, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and unpopular religious groups – something that Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson all emphasized during the argument. This is another important occasion on which it should do so.”

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