Court Temporarily Blocks Missouri Attorney General Attempt to Effectively Ban Gender-Affirming Care; Planned Parenthood Great Plains Continues Care at Health Centers
For Immediate Release: April 26, 2023
Hours before Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s unprecedented use of an emergency rule to prohibit gender-affirming care for people of all ages was set to take effect, a state judge temporarily blocked the egregious regulations. In response to today’s ruling, Planned Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) will be able to continue providing life-saving gender-affirming care at its Missouri health centers without interruption until a ruling is issued on May 1.
The attorney general first introduced the emergency rule only two weeks ago, which posed numerous politically motivated barriers to receiving gender-affirming care that are not in line with existing standards of care. Since the attorney general’s announcement, PPGP established a dedicated hotline for patients, extended hours and availability, and offered financial assistance to cover the cost of the appointment.
Statement from Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains:
“Despite the attorney general’s desperate attempts to delay the court from blocking his unconstitutional ban on gender-affirming care, trans and non-binary Missourians will still be able to get treatment in Missouri tomorrow. And while this is temporary relief, our patients always deserve the highest standard of care, without the intervention of politicians who have no grasp of medicine. Andrew Bailey seems dead set on stripping Missourians of their rights, and we know the attacks are far from over. But we’re still providing life-saving gender-affirming care because everyone should be able to live as their authentic selves.”
Should the rule be allowed to go into effect next week, it would become the strictest restrictions on gender-affirming care in the nation for people of all ages. It would mean people would be required to meet a set of arbitrary conditions prior to getting care including a screening for autism and at least 15 one-hour long therapy sessions, of which at least 10 must be with the same provider.
PPGP operates four health centers in Missouri, with three in the Kansas City area and one in Columbia. Additionally, PPGP has two health centers on the Kansas side of the border – Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas.