In December, the state of Alabama filed a motion for admission to allow ADF attorneys to join in representing the state to defend its law that protects children from harmful and unnecessary medical procedures.
About the Case
The case, Boe v. Marshall, involves the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act (“VCAP”) passed by Alabama in 2022. The law made Alabama the first state to criminalize the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender people under age 19. The four main provisions of VCAP are;
(a) prohibiting sex-altering surgeries on minors
(b) prohibiting giving boys estrogen and girls testosterone for the sake of helping them appear to be the opposite biological sex
(c) prohibiting giving minors puberty blockers
(d) prohibits nurses, counselors, teachers, principals, or other school officials from withholding information from parents about their child’s perception that his or her gender or sex is inconsistent with his or her sex.
The ACLU and the Biden administration have sued the state of Alabama to enjoin the state law.
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Roger Brooks said regarding the motion, “Alabama is right to protect minors from harmful, irreversible, and strictly experimental medical procedures that permanently alter children’s bodies without any proven long-term benefit. We’re pleased the Alabama attorney general’s office asked ADF to assist in defending the state’s law. Children suffering discomfort with their sex are best served by compassionate mental health care that enables them to grow into comfort with their bodies naturally. Even the far-from-impartial World Professional Association for Transgender Health has admitted that the overwhelming majority of children will naturally resolve their dysphoria as they mature. Yet activist groups and professionals with large financial interests continue to push harmful puberty-blockers, sterilizing cross-sex hormones, and irreversible surgeries upon children too young to understand the long-term implications for their lives or to give informed consent. We’re pleased to support Alabama in doing what every state should do—implementing policy that protects vulnerable children and gives them time to flourish.”
Alliance Defending Freedom seeks to protect minors from gender-related medical interventions that can have harmful, lifelong, and irreversible consequences.
Dr. Stephen B. Levine, Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and expert in gender dysphoria and gender, has served as an expert witness in another case where Alliance Defending Freedom has intervened—B.P.J v. West Virginia State Board of Education.
In his expert report in B.P.J., Levine writes, “Given the lack of scientific evidence, it is neither surprising nor improper that … there is a diversity of views among practitioners as to the best therapeutic response for the child, adolescent, or young adult who suffers from gender dysphoria.”
He goes on to write: “[I]t is not responsible to make a single, categorical statement about the proper treatment of children or adolescents presenting with gender dysphoria or other gender-related issues. There is no single pathway to the development of a trans identity and no reasonably uniform short- or long-term outcome of medically treating it.”
Generational Wins
Alliance Defending Freedom is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 to advocate for free speech, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, parental rights, and marriage and family. The organization provides legal assistance to individuals and organizations who face discrimination and infringement on their religious liberties. It also conducts education and outreach programs to raise awareness of religious freedom issues.
ADF has been involved in numerous high-profile legal cases, including Conestoga Wood Specialties (combined with the Hobby Lobby case at the Supreme Court), which was a landmark case for religious freedom and the rights of business owners to operate their companies in accordance with their beliefs. The organization has also been involved in cases relating to the freedom of speech, parental rights, and the rights of students to express their beliefs in schools.
As an alliance-building legal organization, ADF’s Allied Legal Affairs team equips their Allied Attorneys with resources, training, and support to fight for “Generational Wins,” which they define as significant victories that change the law and culture of the nation for a generation. Deliberate action is taken following the victory in order to ensure that it endures for generations to come.
See more from Alliance Defending Freedom: https://adfmedia.org/
