Jefferson City, MO - Today, in a ruling largely copying a brief submitted by the State and ignoring thousands of pages of a transcript not yet provided to the parties that reflects nine days of testimony in the case, a Missouri Circuit Court has refused to halt enforcement of SB 49, Missouri’s discriminatory law that bars transgender adolescents from receiving gender-affirming medical care and prohibits Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming medical care for transgender people of any age. The law penalizes health care professionals who provide such care to minors with the loss of their medical licenses. The ruling came in Noe v. Parson, a lawsuit challenging the law filed by Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Missouri, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.
“We are extremely disappointed in this decision, but this is not the end of the fight and we will appeal. However, the court’s findings signal a troubling acceptance of discrimination, ignore an extensive trial record and the voices of transgender Missourians and those who care for them, and deny transgender adolescents and Medicaid beneficiaries from their right to access to evidence-based, effective, and often life-saving medical care,” Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Missouri said in a joint statement.
“Despite heartfelt testimony from parents of transgender youth, transgender adults who’ve benefited from this care at various stages of life, a transgender minor, and some of Missouri’s most dedicated health care providers, the state has prioritized politics over the well-being of its people,” the organizations added. “This ruling sends a chilling message that, for some, compassion and equal access to health care are still out of reach."
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