The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on June 18 in favor of a Tennessee law banning medical treatments and procedures, including puberty blockers, for transgender adolescents seeking gender transition.
In United States v. Skrmetti, the court upheld a lower court’s decision, rejecting claims by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The suit was filed in July 2023.
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Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, “This case carries the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field. The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound.”
‘Common-sense protection’
Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, hailed the ruling as a significant victory.
“This decision is a monumental statement in favor of protecting our youth and children,” Davis said. “We live in an age where human sexuality is under attack from all quarters. I am thankful for our state attorney general and Tennessee representatives who stood in the gap for Tennessee’s children.”
Davis noted that partnering with the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission to support Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was an “easy call.”
“Tennessee Baptists have always stood for life,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold this Tennessee law is a common-sense protection for all our children.”
The ERLC, which filed a brief with the TBMB in support of the law, celebrated the outcome. ERLC President Brent Leatherwood emphasized the ruling’s importance.
“We are thrilled that the court has rightly ruled that states have the right to intervene to protect children from the irreparable harm of gender experimentation,” Leatherwood said. “When it comes to a biblical approach to gender and sexuality, Southern Baptists are united. Our public witness — whether before the Supreme Court or elsewhere — is strongest when we work together.”
Humanity and reality
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the ERLC during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting last week, Skrmetti framed the issue as a broader philosophical debate.
“It goes to a fundamental question about humanity and reality,” Skrmetti said. “The gender ideology we’re dealing with is a modern form of Gnosticism — the idea that the self and subjective view of the world controls everything. It is hostile to any objective reality.”
The case, United States v. Skrmetti, was initiated by three transgender teens, their families, and a Tennessee doctor treating youth with gender dysphoria — a condition involving discomfort or distress when one’s gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth. The Biden administration joined the plaintiffs, citing federal authority to intervene in cases alleging Equal Protection Clause violations.
The Tennessee law, originally introduced as SB 1/HB 1 in 2023, was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth. Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law in March 2023. Skrmetti has defended the law throughout its legal challenges.
