Jefferson Reporter

Today, the United States Supreme Court listened to oral arguments in the case of United States of America v. Skrmetti. Congressman Gary Palmer from Alabama addressed the public outside the court, advocating for states' rights to protect children from what he describes as a "radical left agenda."

Palmer stated, “I stand here today not just as a Congressman from the great state of Alabama, but also as a father… The case before the Court, United States of America v. Skrmetti, is about far more than a legal debate over Tennessee’s law. It is about whether states retain the right to protect children from irreversible harm.”

He highlighted Alabama's efforts in this area, mentioning that the state enacted a similar law in 2022 which faced legal challenges but was upheld by the Eleventh Circuit. This decision allowed Alabama to continue its measures aimed at protecting children.

Palmer referred to a 2022 Swedish government report which concluded that there is insufficient scientific basis for hormone treatments on children without further research. He also cited an October 23, 2024 report by The New York Times about an unpublished federal study on transgender youth funded by taxpayer dollars. According to Palmer, Dr. Olson-Kennedy chose not to publish findings indicating that puberty blockers did not improve mental health among gender dysphoric adolescents due to concerns over potential legal implications.

“It’s interesting that the National Institutes of Health refuses to release the findings while this is being litigated in our courts," Palmer remarked. He urged Director Monica Bertagnolli to make the full report public.

Palmer quoted Mikael Landén from Sweden who said, “Health care should not provide interventions that we do not know to be safe and beneficial.” Palmer expressed his agreement with this sentiment and called for the Supreme Court to uphold states' rights in protecting children.