South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined attorneys general from 25 other states in submitting friend-of-the-court briefs to two federal appeals courts. The briefs ask the courts to lift an injunction that is currently blocking an Executive Order issued by President Trump, which prohibits the use of federal funds for pediatric sex-change procedures and treatments.
“We need to protect our teenagers and children from radical surgeries and hormones that are unproven, unsafe, and often irreversible,” said Attorney General Wilson. “President Trump’s Executive Order is a roadblock to child mutilation, so we’re hopeful the courts will allow it to take effect.”
The amicus briefs were filed with the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Ninth Circuit. The appeal challenges a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland that temporarily halted enforcement of the Executive Order.
The Executive Order, issued in January and titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” directs that federal funding should not support what it describes as gender transition procedures for minors, emphasizing enforcement of existing laws that prohibit or restrict such medical interventions.
In their argument, the attorneys general claim that when blocking the order, the district court relied on standards set by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). They assert WPATH lacks scientific rigor and note that discovery in court revealed WPATH created its guidelines despite finding little evidence about treatments for children and adolescents. The brief also alleges WPATH altered its clinical recommendations based on political factors rather than scientific evidence.
Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming joined Wilson in filing these briefs.
Further details about these legal filings can be found at: here and here.
