Supreme Court upholds Tennessee ban on youth transgender surgery, puberty blockers, hormone therapy

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee ban on youth transgender surgery, puberty blockers, and hormone therapy.

The justices voted along ideological lines, 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the opinion, NBC News reported. The decision will likely have a broad impact as 24 other states have enacted laws similar to Tennessee's.

Roberts wrote that the state law is not in violation of the Constitution's 14th Amendment as it does not constitute a form of sex discrimination.

"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," Roberts wrote. "The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound."

"The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements," he added.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissenting opinion the law does discriminate.

"By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims," Sotomayor wrote. "In sadness, I dissent."