The AAMC joined the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and others in an amicus brief filed on May 4 supporting a challenge to an Alabama law imposing criminal sanctions for health care professionals who provide (or facilitate through referral) gender-affirming care to adolescents.
The May 4 amicus brief supports a motion for an injunction preventing enforcement of Alabama Senate Bill 184, which was signed into law on April 8. The brief reviews the rigorous and evidence-based gender-affirming medical treatment guidelines which are supported by all mainstream pediatric organizations, representing thousands of physicians across multiple disciplines. It also explains how the law will irreparably harm adolescents with gender dysphoria by denying care to those who need it, warning the court, “banning such care can put patients’ lives at risk.”
The United States has intervened in support of plaintiffs, asking the court to block the Alabama law. An evidentiary hearing on plaintiffs’ motion for injunctive relief began on May 5.
On March 10, the AAMC joined the same groups in an amicus brief supporting a similar challenge to the Texas governor and attorney general [refer to Washington Highlights, March 11]. A federal district court enjoined enforcement of the Texas policy, and that case is now pending with the Texas Supreme Court.
These briefs, and other efforts, reaffirm the AAMC’s commitment to ensuring access to high-quality care that treats all people, including transgender individuals, equally and with respect as outlined in a 2021 AAMC statement, which read, “Efforts to restrict the provision of gender-affirming health care for transgender individuals will reduce health care access for transgender Americans, promote discrimination, and widen already significant health inequities.”