The U.S. Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling upholding Tennessee’s law banning minors from receiving transgender medical treatments will not directly affect Washington’s laws because the state has its own legal framework that protects access to medical care for transgender individuals. But that doesn’t mean there will be no consequences for the Evergreen State.
In a 6-3 decision, the nation’s highest court ruled that Tennessee’s ban does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. This decision effectively supports similar bans in other states, impacting access to treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth.
Washington state has laws in place – including the Washington Law Against Discrimination and the Gender Affirming Treatment Act – that ensure transgender individuals have access to necessary medical care, including what proponents refer to as gender-affirming treatments.
WLAD explicitly prohibits discrimination because of “gender expression or identity.” Its protections extend to various areas, including employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and insurance.
GATA prohibits health insurance plans from denying or limiting coverage for gender-affirming treatment. It also prevents insurers from classifying commonly prescribed transition-related care, such as cosmetic procedures, and implementing blanket bans on such treatments.
The University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Children’s hospital have a strong partnership, particularly in pediatric care, research and training. The two are closely affiliated, with Seattle Children’s serving as the primary teaching, clinical, and research site for the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.
The Center Square reached out to the UWMC about the possible impact the Supreme Court’s decision could have on Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic, which provides “gender-affirming medical care and support for adolescents whose gender identity is different from their sex at birth.”
UWMC did not respond, and Seattle Children’s hospital has not released an official statement.
Beth Parlato is a senior legal advisor at the Independent Women’s Law Center, a project of the Independent Women’s Forum, a conservative, nonprofit organization focused on policy issues concerning women.
“We knew that they were going to come out with a decision in June, so we’ve waited six months, so yes, it’s been a highly anticipated decision from the high court, and of course we’re thrilled that they held the Tennessee ban on mutilating children with experimental cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, procedures, and surgeries, does not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment,” she told The Center Square.
“And there’s probably a lot that are afraid to speak out, but I mean we’re talking hundreds and hundreds of stories,” she continued. “You know, when you’re a minor, you cannot consent to so many things, right? There’s so many things that we regulate on minors, but yet it’s been OK to cut off healthy breasts and to give experimental medications and surgeries, and it’s unconscionable that this has been allowed to happen to minors.”
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation blasted the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Today, the Supreme Court took the place of parents and doctors and stripped away their ability to make private, lifesaving decisions for their children,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a news release. “This ruling is a chilling step toward unchecked government overreach, intruding on the most personal aspects of our private lives.”
Parlato said she believes the ruling will have far-reaching consequences even in states like Washington that are not directly impacted by it.
“I mean, we need to start looking at what Europe did, you know, because they’re stopping this. If you want to mutilate your body and take hormones, well, guess what? Wait till you’re 18,” she said. “I mean, it’s as simple as that. We should not be allowing it. I don’t care what state you live in. It should not be allowed to happen in America. We need to protect our children.”
