Amid the severely distressing headlines regarding the potential for imminent international war, some heartening news has emerged in other contexts.
Recently, families were handed a huge victory when the Supreme Court voted in favor of upholding Tennessee’s protection of children from militant transgenderism.
Specifically, the Supreme Court held that the state’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for underaged individuals was constitutional.
Tennessee had passed Senate Bill 1, which would not allow healthcare providers to undertake procedures that had “the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”
As reported by the New York Post, transgender activists attempted to argue that such a ban violated the Fourteenth Amendment, but the Supreme Court viewed the matter differently.
For reference, here is an excerpt from Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, or the text relevant to the Supreme Court decision:
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
In other words, the Supreme Court declined to recognize that hormone therapy for minors was a “right” that the Founding Fathers had in mind.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the majority opinion, made it rather clear that such a ban was well within state’s individual authority.
Not to mention the fact that such a ban was rather, well, logical per most semi-logical mindsets.
After all, hormone therapy is banned for all individuals under the age of 18 across the United Kingdom, barring rare exceptions like participation in scientific studies.
Which Roberts clearly recognized.
“This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field. Our role … is only to ensure that it does not violate the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment. Having concluded it does not, we leave questions regarding its policy to the people, their elected representatives, and the democratic process,” Roberts declared.
Needless to say, the victory is substantial, as it handed a huge win to other states that have similar legislation ready for implementation, once an opportunity arises.
The victory is especially substantial due to the fact that the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Tennessee, underscoring the degree to which common sense, alongside constitutional allegiance, dominate the Court’s mindset.
After all, different states feature highly different characteristics in general: For instance, some states feature far more sanctuary cities than others, while other states feature far more liberal laws regarding either drugs or guns, or perhaps a combination of both, depending on the state and depending on the degree of liberality.
States are perhaps even more distinct in terms of the punishment for different crimes: While the death penalty is illegal in many states, it remains legal in several others.
In addition, several other states have arguably become even more intense, in that firing squads have been notoriously re-instated as a potential method of execution.
Therefore, given the degree to which different states can literally control life and death, it stands to reason that states should also be able to regulate which activities can and cannot occur with minors.
After all, individuals cannot even drive on their own – at least legally – until they are 16 years old, for good reason … a semblance of maturity is generally required.
Therefore, why on earth should underaged children be able to receive hormone therapy years upon years before they are even of legal driving age?
Indeed, kudos to the Supreme Court for its resounding majority on this particular issue – one that has been unnecessarily divisive and harmful to children.
Author: Ofelia Thornton
