Georgia law banning gender-affirming care for trans inmates struck down

""The state is responsible for the well being of any person it holds in its custody, regardless of whether that person has gender dysphoria or another diagnosis," Emily Early, an attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who represented the plaintiffs, tells The Advocate. "Gender dysphoria is a medical condition that is just like any other condition of diabetes or cancer that the state must provide minimally adequate treatment for that meets constitutional standards.""

""By banning treatment of gender dysphoria, the Georgia Department of Corrections and the private contractor Centurion are banning care that medical providers have determined to be medically necessary, and the Constitution requires that even prisons must provide minimally adequate care to individuals that it holds within its custody," Early says. SB 185 prohibited the use of state funds or resources for gender-affirming surgeries, hormone replacement therapy, cosmetic procedures, and other treatments for gender dysphoria."

A federal judge issued a permanent injunction against Georgia's SB 185, finding the law violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The law banned use of state funds or resources for gender-affirming surgeries, hormone replacement therapy, cosmetic procedures, and other treatments for gender dysphoria, while allowing similar treatments for other conditions. Plaintiffs included five transgender people who argued loss of care harms mental health and that hormone withdrawal can cause cardiovascular complications and cognitive decline. Legal counsel emphasized that gender dysphoria is a medical condition requiring minimally adequate treatment and that the state must provide necessary care to those in custody.

Read at Advocate.com