Supreme Court briefs filed against Tennessee minor gender-affirming care ban

A group of Republican politicians, 153 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and a group led by actor Elliot Page have filed amicus briefs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court arguing against Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

The Supreme Court said in June that it would hear the case. A July 2023 ruling from the Sixth District U.S. Court of Appeals allowed the law to take effect.

The group of Republican lawmakers includes eight former members of Congress, state representatives and former Republican staffers.

Former U.S. Reps. Christopher Shays, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Denver Riggleman, Deborah Pryce, Susan Molinari, Barbara Comstock, Claudine Cmarada Schneider and Connie Morella signed the letter, which stated that health care for children should be a choice for a family, not the government.

“Parents know what is best for their children far better than the government does,” the filing reads. “And in our constitutional system, parents have the fundamental right to make critical decisions about the care of their own children, including medical decisions. While the government has a role to play in keeping kids safe, that role is limited, and it does not justify the State second-guessing the judgments of parents acting in good faith who are best positioned to know what their children need.”

Thirty-two briefs opposing the law were filed Sept. 3 while there is an Oct. 8 deadline for Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s response in the case. Amicus briefs supporting the law are still expected to be filed.