Plaintiffs challenging the “Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act” have dropped their lawsuit against the bill, Attorney General Steve Marshall confirmed this past Friday.
Passed by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this month, the law bans the prescription of puberty inhibitors to minors. The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville), also prohibits doctors from performing gender-altering procedures on minors.
In a statement, Marshall described the law’s opposition as a “fleet of activist groups that collectively control billions of dollars.”
The advocacy organizations included in the two separate lawsuits requesting immediate relief from the bill included the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Lambda Legal and Transgender Law Center.
“Despite those demands for immediate judicial intervention, last night, the Plaintiffs in both cases voluntarily and simultaneously dismissed their lawsuits,” added Marshall. “I’m grateful for the work my team has done to defend this important law and the children it defends.”
In a statement issued on Monday by State Rep. Wes Allen (R-Troy), who carried the bill in the Alabama House of Representatives, the lawmaker blasted the ACLU and SPLC by asserting they had filed the lawsuit without “any concern for children.”
“I have said from the beginning that this was a frivolous lawsuit and the fact that the plaintiffs dropped the case so soon after filing it proves that I was correct about their motives,” stated Allen. “This bill was legally passed by the Alabama House and Senate and signed into law by the Governor.”
“It is Constitutional and the plaintiffs know it. If they refile this suit in a different district, it will show they are attempting to judge-shop,” he continued. “For groups like the ACLU and SPLC, this is not about justice or any concern for children. This is just about publicity and fundraising for them.”
At least one of the lawsuits is expected to be refiled, according to Alabama Media Group. The law goes into effect May 8, 2022.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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