Plaintiffs dismiss lawsuits challenging Alabama trans youth treatment law

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Plaintiffs who filed federal lawsuits challenging the recently signed Alabama law that makes it a crime for doctors to treat trans youth under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones dismissed their lawsuits on Friday, according to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

The lawsuits were filed by the parents of two transgender teens in Jefferson and Shelby counties. No word yet on why the lawsuits were dismissed.

The new law goes into effect May 8, 2022. You could get up to 10 years in prison if you violate it.

Attorney General Steve Marshall released the following statement about the dismissal of the lawsuits:

“On April 8, 2022, Alabama enacted the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act to protect children from experimental medical interventions that have no proven benefits and carry with them substantial risk of long-term, irreversible harm,” said Attorney General Marshall. “The law reflects a growing international consensus that children suffering from gender dysphoria should not be receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. Children who take these drugs risk permanent infertility, loss of sexual function, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, bone-density problems, risk of altered brain development, and psycho-social harms from delayed puberty. Conversely, the majority of children who experience dysphoria will have it resolve naturally by adulthood, if not subjected to the interventions above.

“Alabama’s law was challenged almost immediately by a fleet of activist groups that collectively control billions of dollars. The SPLC, GLAD, NCLR, and Human Rights Campaign, along with law firms King & Spalding and Lightfoot, Franklin & White filed one suit. The ACLU, Lambda Legal, Transgender Law Center, and Cooley LLP launched another, arguing that immediate relief was needed for their clients before the law takes effect next month.

“Despite those demands for immediate judicial intervention, last night, the Plaintiffs in both cases voluntarily and simultaneously dismissed their lawsuits. I’m grateful for the work my team has done to defend this important law and the children it defends.”

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