Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors ruled unconstitutional by judge.

A federal judge has ruled that Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care for children is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the law that would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-affirming hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to anyone under 18. The judge ruled that the prohibition violated the due process and equal protection rights of transgender youth and families, and also violated the First Amendment rights of medical providers by prohibiting them from referring patients elsewhere. The ruling affects only the Arkansas ban but may carry implications for the fates of similar prohibitions, or discourage attempts to enact them, in other states.