US court upholds ban on funding sex reassignment surgery

The US Court of Appeals has upheld West Virginia's ban on Medicaid funding for sex reassignment surgery. The three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned a lower court ruling that had deemed the law discriminatory.

According to the appeals court, the legislation does not apply to a specific group of people, but rather to certain types of medical procedures. Therefore, according to the judges, it does not violate federal anti-discrimination laws or the constitutional principle of equal treatment.

The decision is a significant victory for Republican-led states seeking to restrict public funding for so-called gender-affirming healthcare. According to available data, more than a dozen US states have already introduced similar restrictions.

The Trump administration supports legislation restricting these procedures and is pushing for further measures in this area.

(reuters, mja)