A business in Texas does not have to follow a law that prohibits discrimination, a hospital in Tennessee hands over a trans patient's medical records to an attorney, and a judge in Arkansas strikes down a ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
Court: Christian Business is Exempt from Discrimination Prohibition
According to Reuters, a wellness center owned by Christians in Texas does not have to follow federal law that prohibits employers from discriminating against sexual orientation and gender identity after a federal appeals court ruling on June 20.
Three judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that Braidwood Management is exempt from being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission due to their rule that employees can be fired for homosexuality or being gender non-conforming.
Hospital Turns Over Trans Patient Medical Records To State AG
Stock photo.
According to The Tennessean, Vanderbilt University Medical Center submitted medical records belonging to transgender patients to the Tennessee Attorney General's office. The attorney general’s office stated on June 20 that they are investigating possible medical billing fraud. The records requested spanned from Jan. 1, 2018 to the present.
"VUMC received requests from the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General as part of its investigation seeking information about transgender care at VUMC. The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to its investigation. VUMC was obligated to comply and did so," said a statement from John Howser, VUMC's chief communications officer.
Judge Strikes Down Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
Judge Jay Moody. Photo via Wikipedia.
A federal judge issued a permanent injunction against an Arkansas law that banned gender-affirming care for youth on June 20, according to the Associated Press. The law would have prohibited doctors from providing gender-affirming care such as hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to minors. The law also would have prohibited doctors from referring patients to other gender-affirming care providers.
U.S. District Judge Jay Moody had previously temporarily blocked the same law in 2021.
Moody ruled that the law violated the rights of the patients, their families, and medical providers.
“Rather than protecting children or safeguarding medical ethics, the evidence showed that the prohibited medical care improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that, by prohibiting it, the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing,” Moody wrote.
