Jefferson City, Mo. - In response to the Secretary of State’s termination, at the Attorney General’s request, of the Attorney General’s extreme and unprecedented rule that sought to impose severe restrictions on all trans Missourians seeking gender-affirming care, the ACLU of Missouri issued the following statement:
“After weeks of embarrassing Missouri on the national stage, the Attorney General has finally joined everyone else in recognizing that his hasty attempt to usurp other branches of government cannot withstand scrutiny. His transparently faux concern for trans youth could not mask that his willingness to abuse his office in an attempt to erase from public all transgender Missourians. Today’s actions are a victory for Missourians’ right to bodily autonomy, but the fight is not over.
“While recently passed legislation is not as extreme as the Attorney General’s unlawful rule, it still rejects the recommendations of every major medical association based on decades of peer-reviewed studies supporting the necessity of life-saving gender-affirming care. If it is allowed to become law, the legislation would substitute the uninformed opinions of politicians for patient and parental consent informed by knowledgeable medical professionals. The Governor should veto Senate Bills 39 and 49 and afford trans youth and their families the dignity of continuing make important medical decisions without interference from the political branches of government.”
