Judge stops Kansas law restricting transgender youth health care

A Kansas judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a ban on gender-affirming care for youth, ruling that a legal challenge arguing the law violates parental rights is likely to succeed.Douglas County District Judge Carl Folsom issued an injunction on the law, saying a lawsuit challenging the statute under the Kansas Constitution has a strong likelihood of prevailing, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal.“This temporary injunction is not a final determination of any claim," Folsom wrote in a decision. "But it is intended to prevent the Plaintiffs from suffering irreparable injury during the pendency of this lawsuit while the Plaintiffs' claims are being litigated."The injunction does not strike down the law outright, but it means the statute cannot be enforced while the legal challenge moves forward. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said he is appealing the decision.Related: Kansas GOP overrides governor’s veto to enact sweeping ban on all gender-affirming care for trans kids“This is a stark example of judicial activism,” Kobach said in a statement. "The judge invented a new constitutional right out of whole cloth. Even though the Kansas Constitution says nothing about it, the judge created a new right of parents to obtain otherwise-illegal treatments for their children.”The Kansas Legislature in 2025 passed the prohibition on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, overriding a veto by Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. The so-called “Help Not Harm Act” criminalized providing such care, restricted the use of state funds for treatment, and imposed harsh penalties on providers.The statute blocks access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and transition-related surgeries for minors, and has been decried as one of the most expansive bans on transgender health care in the country.The injunction does not apply to restrictions on surgery, as the Kansas plaintiffs challenging the law did not include that provision in their lawsuit. Surge