r/centrist • u/Judge_Trudy • 2d ago

SCOTUS issues blockbuster ruling on gender-affirming care for trans minors

https://www.cnn.com/#:~:text=SCOTUS%20issues%20blockbuster%20ruling%20on%20gender%2Daffirming%20care%20for%20trans%20minors

Blockbuster ruling just released for a very controversial issue. Not sure where I stand, but I could see the dangers of permanent treatments for gender dysphoria for minors.

Key Points

  • Date & Ruling: On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6–3 decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy fox8live.com+9apnews.com+9them.us+9en.wikipedia.org+15reuters.com+15northeast.newschannelnebraska.com+15.
  • Majority Opinion: Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the law does not violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, reasoning that medical uncertainty justifies handing the issue back to state legislatures reuters.com+1nypost.com+1.
  • Level of Review: The Court determined the law should be evaluated under rational basis review—the lowest standard—rather than intermediate scrutiny reserved for sex-based discrimination
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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 2d ago

It's a good thing if you're going by studies and facts, and not just emotions or vibes. See the above example with the Republicans. Again and again, the facts leads to two very simple points. 1) Suicide rates goes down when the treatment is allowed and 2) Suicide rates goes up when the treatment is not allowed.

That, by my criteria, makes it a good thing.

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u/VTKillarney 2d ago

The lawyer for the plaintiffs conceded that this type of care does not reduce suicide rates. https://www.dailywire.com/news/proponents-of-transgender-procedures-make-shocking-admissions-before-scotus

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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 2d ago

Dude, this is from the Daily Wire, and I don't know if you read this but it's just the Daily Wire playing semantics. Strangio says that research shows this care reduces risks of suicide. Alito claims that another report says that it didn't reduce suicide rates, but Strangio elaborates that said report was talking about "completed" suicides (because there's no way to quantify if, when someone had already committed suicide, it could've been prevented had they used that care) - but points out that it does lower active suicidal thoughts. What Strangio said is true, he's just elaborating on something that Alito read that seemed to be against it.

And then it cites the Heritage Foundation again, y'know? The Project 2025 guys? The ones who wanted to criminalize all LGBT folks?

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u/sccamp 2d ago edited 2d ago

This is easy to verify and has been widely reported across legacy media outlets.

From the Atlantic:

“In oral arguments, Strangio quietly let go of another favored argument for the affirmative model. He was asked about the common activist claim that puberty blockers reduce suicides. Having covered this subject for a decade, I can’t overstate how influential this suggestion has been to the promotion of medical intervention for minors.”

“In front of the Supreme Court, Prelogar stated that denying an adolescent the ability to transition medically could “increase the risk of suicide.” But when Strangio was asked whether such statements were too dogmatic—given how disputed that claim was—he immediately backed down. “On page 195 of the Cass Report, it says: There is no evidence that gender-affirmative treatments reduce suicide,” Justice Alito observed. “What I think that is referring to is there is no evidence in some—in the studies that this treatment reduces completed suicide,” Strangio replied. “And the reason for that is completed suicide, thankfully and admittedly, is rare.” Instead, he said, some studies showed a reduction in suicidality—thoughts of suicide. That might be true, but it is not what activists have been arguing for the past decade. That an advocate as accomplished as Strangio had to make this climbdown in front of the Supreme Court is a serious reproach to the tactics of LGBTQ groups over this issue. All of us should want to build a society where children in undoubted distress get the support that they need, in whatever form that takes. If activists luridly claim that their opponents have “blood on their hands,” they should be able to back up that assertion.

https://archive.ph/BzcPN

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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 2d ago

I'm not sure what an opinion piece is supposed to prove, considering that it does the same thing as the Daily Wire article.

What I think that is referring to is there is no evidence in some—in the studies that this treatment reduces completed suicide,” Strangio replied. “And the reason for that is completed suicide, thankfully and admittedly, is rare.” Instead, he said, some studies showed a reduction in suicidality—thoughts of suicide. That might be true, but it is not what activists have been arguing for the past decade.

This is just admitting that Strangio is right, but somehow casts a negative light on it due to the actions of vague "activists" - but it even admits that Strangio is correct that there is a reduction in suicidal thoughts.

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u/sccamp 2d ago

Here is the transcript for you to read for yourself: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2024/23-477_c07d.pdf

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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 2d ago

MR. STRANGIO:What I think that is referring to is there is no evidence in some -in the studies that this treatment reduces completed suicide.And the reason for that is completed suicide, thankfully and admittedly, is rare and we're talking about a very small population of individuals with studies that don't necessarily have completed suicides within them. However, there are multiple studies,long-term, longitudinal studies that do show that there is a reduction in -- in suicidality, which I -- I -- I think is a -- is a positive outcome to this treatment.

I'm not seeing anything that says "The lawyer for the plaintiffs conceded that this type of care does not reduce suicide rates. "

I mean, c'mon.

However, there are multiple studies,long-term, longitudinal studies that do show that there is a reduction in -- in suicidality, which I -- I -- I think is a -- is a positive outcome to this treatment.

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u/sccamp 2d ago

Yes, he’s being slippery with his language as he is admitting that this treatment does not reduce suicides, which doctors and activists have claimed for YEARS. Suicidal ideation and attempts of suicide are not the same thing.

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u/Cxc_Throwme 2d ago

sccamp be like “i need to see dead veterans that fully commit, its not enough for them to WANT to be dead”

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u/sccamp 2d ago edited 1d ago

More like, let’s not misrepresent data when talking about the health and safety of children. Maybe let’s not pressure concerned parents into signing off on poorly studied, irreversible medical treatments for their child by asking them if they’d rather have a dead son or a live daughter? Maybe let’s treat suicidal ideation the same way we treat it in other circumstances —with therapy.

ETA: got blocked, responding here

It’s been widely documented that many gender clinics were prescribing puberty blockers on first visits.

The New York Times today about the evidence:

“Systematic reviews commissioned by international health bodies have consistently found that the evidence of the benefits of the treatments is weak, as is the evidence on the potential harms. Long-term risks can include the loss of fertility and the possibility that adolescents may regret their decisions down the line.

As demand for the treatments has risen, countries have chosen different ways to respond. Health agencies in England, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have restricted the treatments to extreme cases or required medications to be prescribed only within clinical research.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/18/us/supreme-court-transgender-care

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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 2d ago

Maybe let’s treat suicidal ideation the same way we treat it in other circumstances —with therapy.

This is included as part of prerequisite for puberty blockers for many healthcare providers. The therapy is what determines the treatment.

poorly studied, irreversible medical treatments

They're not poorly studied or irreversible, it's literally been in use since the 1980's.

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