The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that a state law banning gender affirmation for minors remains in effect pending trial.

U.S. District Judge Lyles C. Burke initially blocked the law from continuing, arguing that plaintiffs could be harmed if treatment was withheld.

“Alabama's Vulnerable Children Compassion and Protection Act protects children from physical and physical injuries from untested and life-altering chemicals and surgeries,” Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement Thursday. “We can now better protect psychological safety.” “This is an important victory for our country, our children, and common sense.”

Although the law makes it illegal to perform gender reassignment surgery on minors, experts say such surgeries are not performed in the state and no evidence has been submitted that they are occurring. He attests that he did not.

Instead, the bulk of the litigation focuses on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. Marshall also mentioned a bill that would ban the “sterilization” of minors. While cross-sex hormones have that effect, experts testified that puberty blockers are usually reversible.

“Alabama's transgender health care ban will negatively impact thousands of transgender youth in the state and leave parents in the untenable position of not receiving the medical care their children need to thrive.” said a lawyer representing the parents of transgender youth who are objecting to this. . “The district court issued a preliminary order blocking the ban after hearing days of testimony from parents, doctors, and medical experts about the ban's devastating impact and lack of medical justification. Today's ruling will hurt parents and children in our state. We will continue to challenge this illegal ban and confront parents with the dangerous reality of being denied access to the best medical care they need. We will continue to support the children.”

On August 21, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit reversed a May 2022 district court ruling that blocked the ban from taking effect.in Request for retrial In the lawsuit, filed in September 2023, the plaintiffs argue that the Supreme Court and the They argued that the en banc court should reconsider the panel decision because it contradicts circuit precedent and because the ban applies. This violates parents' long-standing right to make medical decisions for their children, rather than ceding that authority to the state.

A request for a rehearing in the en banc court is still pending. A full-scale trial on the constitutionality of the ban is scheduled to take place in federal district court in August 2024.