(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An appeals court decision this week upheld Indiana’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Organizations that assist them and their families say it’s caused “upheaval.”
Emma Vosicky, the Executive Director of Indianapolis-based GenderNexus, agrees with the ACLU, which called the appeals court decision “heartbreaking.”
It goes beyond that, she said. Vosicky has heard from parents who, she said are “absolutely terrified" for their children.
“Their medicine has just stopped. Their medical care has hit a brick wall. Nobody know what they’re going to do, where they’re going to go," she emphasized.
"It is total upheaval and frightening for everybody we have been dealing with.”
Vosicky notes that supporters of the ban have said they're trying to prevent permanent body changes, but they're already occurring "by not being able to take to puberty blockers, by not being able to take hormones."
"Those permanent changes will occur, whether it's hair, voice, body size, structure, and it's just that the state wants to decide which permanent changes are most pleasing to it."
Vosiky noted that under the law, Indiana healthcare providers are prohibited from communicating with out-of-state providers about their patients under the age of 18 and there are potential issues with health insurance companies in seeking care from out-of-state doctors or therapists.
A similar law was struck down as unconstitutional in Arkansas and laws are on hold in at least two other states. The ACLU is continuing to fight the Indiana law.
It was upheld by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, consisting of two Republican-appointed judges and one appointed by a Democrat.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita called the state law “commonsense” in a post on X, formally known as Twitter, Tuesday evening.
Other states that have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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