Missouri Implements Transgender Medical Care Restrictions Under Consumer Protection Law

Missouri's attorney general has issued a new state directive that would severely restrict gender-transitioning treatment for both adults and minors in the state, citing a consumer protection law normally used to prosecute fraudulent business practices. The rule will go into effect April 27 and expire in February. Transgender rights advocates said it would make Missouri the first state in the country to restrict gender-transitioning care for all ages. Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri promised swift legal action, saying that the rule was "based on distorted, misleading and debunked claims" and an attempt "to play politics with lifesaving medical care."