The following statement can be attributed to ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer regarding the recent win in Arkansas striking down as unconstitutional that state's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
"This is wonderful news and we're very glad to see this permanent injunction. As the judge in the case recognized, Arkansas's law, which targeted the health and lives of the most vulnerable kids, was unconstitutional and deeply unjust.
"With gender-affirming care, it should be parents, doctors, and mental health professionals who make these decisions—not politicians trying to score political points by throwing transgender kids under the bus.
"Parents of transgender children are doing their level best to keep their kids alive. These parents deserve every tool at their disposal to create a future for their children. That should include the option of gender-affirming care, which is endorsed by every major medical association.
"Because of the toxic, unaccepting climate society has created for transgender people, suicide rates among transgender teens are terrifying. A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that more than half of transgender male teens had attempted suicide and 30 percent of transgender female teens said they'd attempted suicide. Politicians pushing this bill said they think transgender teens might regret getting gender-affirming care when they're older. Studies don't support that. And it begs the point: If a transgender teen doesn't make it to adulthood, it won't matter.
"These parents know their kids deserve the chance to live well and be happy. Laws that ban gender-affirming care for minors make these very kids and their families a target and take away their rights."