Tennessee's transgender care ban is challenged by dozens of Republicans
“Parents know what is best for their children far better than the government does,” the 26 prominent Republicans argue in a brief to the Supreme Court.
More than 30 prominent Republican officials and conservative leaders filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday opposing a Tennessee law that bars transition-related care for minors.
“While the government has a role in keeping kids safe, that role is limited, and it does not justify the State second-guessing the judgments of parents acting in good faith who are best positioned to know what their children need,” the signatories wrote. “States have no business overruling the decisions of fit parents who make an informed medical choice for their children that is supported by their doctors, by the medical profession more generally, by the children themselves, and by their conscience.”
The Supreme Court agreed in June to hear the case, L.W. v. Skrmetti, as Republican lawmakers in dozens of states have introduced bills to restrict gender-affirming care — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries — for minors and, in some states, adults on Medicaid. So far, 26 states, including Tennessee, have adopted such measures.
Among the signatories of the amicus brief are eight former Republican members of Congress: Reps. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Connie Morella of Maryland, Susan Molinari of New York, Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Claudine Schneider of Rhode Island, and Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman of Virginia. The list also includes three currently serving Republican state lawmakers — Wyoming state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer and Missouri state Reps. Chris Sander and Chad Ingels — and Brian Jones, communications director for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and a senior adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.
“It is imperative that we come together as Republicans, conservatives, parents and advocates to stand in support of individual liberties and non-discrimination protections while preserving limited government and parental rights,” Ros-Lehtinen, who has a transgender son, said in an emailed statement to NBC News.
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