Court strikes down Biden’s transgender mandate

“…The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis Dec. 9 permanently blocked a transgender mandate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had implemented as a revision to the Affordable Care Act.

The mandate forces doctors and hospitals to perform gender-transition procedures on their patients even if this violates their conscience and best medical judgment. The 8th Circuit concluded the mandate violates a key federal law protecting religious liberty — the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The Biden administration has 45 days from the date of the ruling to ask the 8th Circuit to rehear the case, Sisters of Mercy v. Becerra, or 90 days to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Becerra” is HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

“The federal government has no business forcing doctors to violate their consciences or perform controversial procedures that could permanently harm their patients,” said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, a Washington-based religious liberty law firm representing the plaintiffs.

“This is a common-sense ruling that protects patients, aligns with best medical practice, and ensures doctors can follow their Hippocratic oath to ‘do no harm.’ ” …”