AG delays enforcement of OK transgender health care ban
Oklahoma's attorney general has agreed to delay enforcement of a new ban on transgender health care for minors while a preliminary hearing in a federal lawsuit is pending.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the agreement "simply allows more time to mount the strongest possible defense" and "should in no way be interpreted as a concession of any kind," according to a court motion and statement.
But the governor's office strongly rebuked Drummond's decision and vowed to halt all transgender surgeries for minors.
Drummond's agreement is "disgusting and shameful," Gov. Kevin Stitt's communications director, Carly Atchison, tweeted Thursday evening shortly after the motion was filed in a Tulsa federal court.
Friday morning, during his weekly news conference, Stitt said he was "disappointed and confused" by Drummond's decision.
"Let me be very clear, Senate Bill 613 was passed, I signed it, and I will not allow transgender surgeries to happen to minors in the state of Oklahoma," Stitt said. "I just think we have an obligation or duty to protect young people."
Earlier this month, Stitt signed Senate Bill 613, which immediately banned gender transition surgeries, along with a six-month phase-out of other drug and hormone treatments.
Stitt acknowledged "maybe there's a legal argument" for Drummond's decision. But he continued to wrongly accuse the attorney general of agreeing with the lawsuit.
"We knew (the) ACLU is going to sue on anything that is (for) traditional family values or freedoms or, you know, anything that we're for they're against," Stitt said. "So we knew we'd get sued on that and (for Drummond) to agree with that lawsuit ... is super disappointing."
Asked to respond to Stitt's comments, Drummond's office reiterated that delaying enforcement was a legal strategy and not an agreement with the lawsuit.
“The attorney general’s office continues to fulfill its duty to defend Senate Bill 613. A temporary stay of enforcement simply allows more time to mount the strongest possible defense," Drummond's office said in an emailed statement.
The ACLU of Oklahoma, which is representing multiple Oklahoma families in the lawsuit, said the delayed enforcement agreement allows families to still access important health care services.
“We welcome this opportunity to preserve the rights of transgender adolescents and their families to access medically necessary health care while our challenge proceeds," the ACLU said Thursday in a joint statement with other attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
More: Five transgender youths file lawsuit, saying Oklahoma health care ban is unconstitutional
Five Oklahoma transgender youths and their families, along with an Oklahoma doctor, sued the state over the ban, claiming their ability to make their own health care decisions allowed youth to flourish in life.
The attorney general's agreement to delay enforcement was announced Thursday in a joint motion filed in a Tulsa federal court. The motion also requested more time for the defendants in the case to file a response before a preliminary hearing.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: AG to delay enforcement of ban on Oklahoma transgender health care
