'Just wrong': Oregon advocates say SCOTUS decision targets transgender youth

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon groups and lawmakers are responding to a Supreme Court ruling made Wednesday that restricts access to gender-affirming care for minors.

The 6-3 ruling rejected a challenge from the Biden administration, along with three families and a physician, who claimed a Tennessee law violated the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.

The United States v. Skrmetti decision found the law does not discriminate against transgender youth based on their sex and is constitutional. It will effectively protect Republican-led state governments that are rolling back protections for transgender people from any future legal challenges. 

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said the "life-altering decision lays out the playbook for extremist politicians to continue their crusade against trans people and further exclude them from daily life.”

Meanwhile, Tennessee's attorney general took to social media to call the ruling a “landmark victory for Tennessee in defense of America's children."

According to the Oregon Nurses Association, puberty blockers and hormone therapy is “endorsed by every major medical organization in the U.S.” and has shown to significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among transgender youth.

“ONA believes that all young people deserve access to medically necessary care, free from political interference,” their statement read. “Today’s decision is not based on science, public health, or the well-being of children; it is rooted in ideology, and it places vulnerable youth at serious risk.”

Basic Rights Oregon called the ruling “a devastating outcome for transgender people, our families and our medical providers.”

However, Oregon law still protects access to gender-affirming care on a state level.

“Gender affirming care is still legal in Oregon, and Oregon law prohibits discrimination against people based on their gender identity or sex, including from healthcare providers,” ACLU litigation manager Eri Andriola said.

The decision comes as local activists campaign for an Equal Rights for All ballot measure in 2026. As proposed, the ERA would guarantee equal rights “regardless of one’s sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation” and create certain protections in the Oregon Constitution. These protections include the right to abortion, contraception and IVF, transgender health care, and same-gender marriage.

Sen. Merkley’s full statement can be read below:

“Access to medically-necessary care for trans youth saves lives, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s callous decision puts trans youth and their families at risk.

“MAGA extremists across the nation will not stop at banning medically-necessary gender-affirming care for trans youth. The Court’s life-altering decision lays out the playbook for extremist politicians to continue their crusade against trans people and further exclude them from daily life. And this is just the beginning—this decision opens the floodgates for MAGA extremists in state legislatures and Congress to ban medically-necessary care, from gender-affirming care to abortion access.

 “This is just wrong—everyone should have access to the care they need, when they need it. No exceptions.

“Let’s get politicians out of the exam room. We will continue to fight these divisive policies in communities nationwide to fully realize the vision of America as a land of freedom and equality for all, and I won’t rest until my Equality Act is signed into law to deliver on this fundamental promise.”

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