Judge Blocks Biden Administration Rule On Gender Ideology In Healthcare

A federal judge in Mississippi has blocked a rule proposed by the Biden administration that aimed to expand prohibitions against sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The decision came after a coalition of Republican attorneys general warned that the rule would compel healthcare providers to accept radical gender ideology.

U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. ruled on Wednesday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) overstepped its statutory authority with the proposed rule. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who argued that the rule would force states to fund transgender surgeries for children.

“Today a federal court said no to the Biden administration’s attempt to illegally force every healthcare provider in America to adopt the most extreme version of gender ideology,” Skrmetti said. “The administration has over and over again issued regulations that mangle the law to advance an ideological agenda.”

Judge Guirola’s ruling stated that the plaintiffs demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their claims and would suffer irreparable harm through compliance costs or lost federal funding. “The substantial cost of compliance with the 181-page rule weighs in favor of maintaining the status quo,” Guirola wrote, granting a nationwide preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the rule.

The lawsuit was supported by several states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. Their complaint argued that the rule would require states to use taxpayer funds to cover unproven and costly gender-transition interventions through Medicaid and state health plans, potentially causing irreversible harm to children.

The rule, which was set to take effect on July 5, has been paused pending further legal action.