As legislative sessions reconvene around the country, a slew of anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced, several of which seek to criminalize transition-related care for transgender youth, including gender reassignment surgery.
Speaking with Washington Blade, partner David Flugman called the bills “a pernicious attempt to target a disfavored group” and constitutionally suspect.
“They raise serious constitutional concerns surrounding these minors’ rights to control their own bodies and their ability, with their parents’ consent, to obtain critical medical treatment,” he said. “The bills also represent a heavy-handed intrusion by the state into the medical decisions of parents and children in consultation with medical professionals. I think we can expect to see lawsuits filed.”
Two such bills are currently pending in South Dakota and Florida. Under the former, a doctor who provides transition-related care to a minor would be guilty of a Class 4 felony, which could mean up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $30,000.
Other bills in South Carolina and Missouri wouldn’t institute criminal penalties, but would prohibit transition-related care for transgender youth.
Read the full article here.
More About Flugman’s Practice
David Flugman is an experienced trial and appellate litigator who has successfully represented clients before courts and arbitration panels across the country. His public interest practice focuses on the advancement of LGBTQ rights and the protection of persons with mental disabilities. In one such case, David defended a ban enacted by New Jersey on the practice of so-called “sexual orientation change efforts” or “conversion therapies” on minors by state licensed professionals.
Learn more about his work and experience here.
