COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri court has upheld a new state law that bans some gender-affirming health care for minors. The state’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey says the Monday ruling makes Missouri the first state to successfully defend such a policy in trial court. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say they will appeal. The 2023 Missouri law banned gender-affirming surgeries for children and teenagers under the age of 18. The law also prohibits hormones and puberty blockers for minors who had not started those treatments as of August 2023. The law expires in August 2027.
