Press Release
☷Justice Department Challenges Alabama Law that Criminalizes Medically Necessary Care for Transgender Youth
U.S. Department of Justice ( By Press Release office)
Apr 29,2022
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The Justice Department today filed a complaint challenging a recently enacted Alabama law , Senate Bill ( S . B . ) 184 , that denies necessary medical care to children based solely on who they are , and that threatens criminal prosecution and jail time to doctors , parents , and anyone else who provides or “causes” that care . The United States’ complaint alleges that the new law’s felony ban on providing certain medically necessary care to transgender minors violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause . The department is also asking the court to issue an immediate order to prevent the law from going into effect . S . B . 184 makes it a felony for any person to “engage in or cause” specified types of medical care for transgender minors . S . B . 184 thus discriminates against transgender youth by denying them access to certain forms of medically necessary care . It further discriminates against transgender youth by barring them from accessing particular procedures while allowing non - transgender minors to access the same or similar procedures . The penalties for violating the law include up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $15 , 000 . S . B . 184 would force parents of transgender minors , medical professionals , and others to choose between forgoing medically necessary procedures and treatments , or facing criminal prosecution . The United States’ complaint alleges that S . B . 184 violates the Equal Protection Clause by discriminating on the basis of sex and transgender status . Today’s filing is the latest action by the Justice Department to combat discrimination based on gender identity , including unlawful restrictions on medical care for transgender youth . On March 31 , 2022 , the Civil Rights Division issued a letter to all state attorneys general reminding them of federal constitutional and statutory provisions that protect transgender youth against discrimination . The complaint in intervention is being handled by Deputy Chief Coty Montag and Trial Attorneys Alyssa Lareau , Kaitlin Toyama , and Renee Williams of the Civil Rights Division’s Federal Coordination and Compliance Section; John Powers , Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights; Assistant U . S . Attorney Jason Cheek for the Northern District of Alabama; and Assistant U . S . Attorney Stephen Wadsworth for the Middle District of Alabama . Additional information about the Civil Rights Division’s work to uphold and protect the civil and constitutional rights of LGBTQI+ individuals is available on its website at https://www . justice . gov/crt/lgbtqi - working - group . Complaints about discriminatory practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division through its internet reporting portal at https://civilrights . justice . gov .
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